


Dangerous

by AlehCemy



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-03-17
Packaged: 2017-12-05 13:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/723594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlehCemy/pseuds/AlehCemy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm the answer to many questions. I'm the essential key of answers to behavior, feelings, questions that plague the mind of Myka about the sacrifice of Helena.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Warehouse 13 and its characters are the property of Syfy Network.  
> Previously posted at FF.net, in July 2012.
> 
> Some initials warnings:
> 
> I don't use all the characters of the Warehouse 13, since this story is between the finale of Season 3 (which made me dissatisfied, and maybe it has just given a little push to my creativity), and the series premiere of season 4. It means: Helena, Steve and Mrs. Frederic remain dead.
> 
> There is no much concern about spoilers or a good memory, as I tried to keep a story without too many details of what happened during the episodes (but knowledge about the season finale of Season 3 will be required).
> 
> This story is perhaps a special case of AU, because I'll pretend that whole tragedy of the warehouse being destroyed has been resolved, but Helena couldn't return. So, consider this story as something post-season 3 and pre-season 4. Just as you have total freedom to think that this whole tragedy was resolved the way you prefer.
> 
> Sorry for any mistake, English isn't my first language. If you noticed something, please warn me, so I can correct =)

_Another day without my creator._

_Another day living that way. I live changing lifestyles often. But now I'm stuck. Trapped for lack of choice, but also trapped because I'm tired of living this way. But I keep living this way, simply because that it’s my nature. I can’t ignore my nature, my personality. If I do have some personality. I don’t know if I can say I'm alive. I think it depends on your concept; it involves a beating heart, blood running in their veins, lungs filled with air to be empty in moments then you can believe I’m not it. I’m a creation that was created this way._

_I can’t blame myself if I was created that way. And it isn’t my fault if my creation went unnoticed to the eyes of my creator. My creator just realized my presence a few days prior to sacrifice. So all I have left to do is try to survive. People hardly know of my existence. Some rare realize my presence in their lives, but when they realize it’s too late for someone to believe in them. Too late to recover the life they had before. Too late for any choice or decision._

_I'm not like you, mere mortals. I don’t live like you; I don’t feed myself with food; I don’t practice consumerism; I don’t practice any act that you need for  your lives or even survival. I’m an immortal. An immortal can die of rare ways. Rare ways that only my creator and I knew. And isn’t just any mortal who can challenge me to death._

_I even have money. Nor I’m able to feel feelings, if one day I was able, I don’t remember. I know what is love, happiness, pleasure, but never felt it proper. I don’t know anything other than my body. Or rather, the body I inhabit. I'm not human. I can’t even classify myself in any kind. Just know I'm not something you can explain._

_I can say that I’m the cause of many deaths. But none of them are caused directly by me. All deaths are mere side effects of my survival. Side effects that don’t affect humanity. And if it affect, is quickly corrected by the millions of births that the world witnesses daily._

_I can say I'm a ghost, but I'm more than that. As I said, you can’t explain what I am. But one thing I can say I’m: artifact. I think that word needs no explanation._

_I'm not something that can give explanations. I’m something that can change your life and much. But to explain? I'm not the best person who can give an explanation without confusing any yours neuron, because if I try, I may be able to kill you. So, better not try, right? After all, I guess when you're dying you’ll want to repent for not having lived the life as you should, for not having done it. That is, you have in the deepness of your soul, a love for life that only mortals have. Immortals don’t even know what love for life is. Only know how to live always in the same way, always living and living, getting tired of knowing that the day you won’t live the day of death._

_My lifestyle is always the same: stay in the same body until it dies, or change bodies as needed, making people mad. Yes, a side effect of my presence is madness. Indeed, it’s much more than that, but for now there is no need to reveal exactly who I’m. I don’t want to scare you. And you aren’t yet prepared to know what my identity is. Those who are actually quite intelligent must already have several theories. But you’ll hardly believe the theory that will prove to be right._

_Right now I'm stuck in a body of which I want to get out. This body, this person, this mind, these feelings don’t deserve my presence. My creator would be a little upset and guilty that I was using that person's body. I don’t know if she noticed my presence, despite my appearances to her._

_I just hosted myself in her because she was the one closest to my creator. Closest enough for my survival instinct to act. I didn’t think, after all I have made these changes of body automatically. It's as if I had a sixth sense that tells what time I should leave the boat. In my case, the body. I'm so used to this life that I don’t even think about my actions, even think of the consequences._

_Since I occupy the same body, I can feel the feelings. But just by myself, I can’t; I’m not composed of any material substance. I'm made of nothing. Or rather, I don’t even know of what I’m composed. I think maybe I'm a piece of my creator soul, maybe I'm just a feeling. But I know I'm not just a feeling. I’m more than that._

_Maybe I'm the new scientific mystery of the century, or rather the most interesting of all. How to create life without creating life? Or rather, what is life? I'd love to have the answers to questions to such great questions, great puzzles about my existence, but I don’t own. And even if I possessed, I wouldn’t tell out there. I'm not a being who likes to get attention. I’m a being discreet._

_All I can feel because of her is a feeling of emptiness, of loss. That feeling you don’t know if you’ll be able to live because of the huge hole that the loss brought. As if you had lost your mind, the reason to breathe every day. Or rather, as if you lost your reason for existence: the person you loved. I'm not absolutely sure whether she loved or just interesting harbored feelings for my creator._

_Maybe I can tell if she really loved, but for now everything is uncertain. I'm afraid to deepen my knowledge of it; I don’t want to cause more damage than I already caused. She doesn’t deserve to be a victim. Perhaps on another occasion, I can confirm that what she felt was love, or any other feeling. For now, I'm just here looking for ways to leave her body._

_The first collateral damage of my presence has already begun. The feeling of being watched and followed all the time. And this isn’t a false sense, is indeed the truth. I'm actually following and watching her, but inside her mind. I have that many skills that many would love to have, but hardly would they know to control. I’m not sure how I'm able to control myself so much. Of course I can be controlled, but this is difficult. Even for my creator was difficult._

_But her mind is already allowing my presence in her memories, her dreams and even as an illusion in everyday life, in the present. I know she is an excellent observer, and even has a photographic memory, so I think she already know that something strange about this in her mind. Yes, I confess that I began to roam the dreams of her, but I take due care to avoid harm, because when the mind accepts me, of course, is a sign that the side effects progressed. Interestingly, her mind only allows me to access when she is recalling my creator in her mind, but the mere mention of the name is also enough._

_I believe her mind has already noticed that I have any connection with my creator, I just don’t know if she is aware of my presence or even aware that the side effects appear with the quote of my creator. In these moments is when the consequences of my invasion become real._

_But I know she is strong. I know she’ll try to fight it as I'll also try to control all my damage. I can’t break the promise I made to my creator. I could say I feel bad breaking a promise, but since I can’t feel I would feel like breaking an act of trust, loyalty to my creator. And there is nothing worse than breaking the act of trust and loyalty of its creator. And if my memory isn’t failing, that's just the only time in my life where I feel deeply traitor._

_I believe you’re trying to understand who is my creator, or even the person in whom I am staying. My creator is Helena Wells. Yes, that Helena that become villain, and then become savior of the land, or at least of Warehouse 13. And this is my entire fault. Don’t think that all this isn’t my fault, even think of the famous clichés that mere humans use._

_My fault since I arose from the early days of rage and madness of Helena Wells. So I have all of these side effects. But for now I won’t tell the story of my creation. Maybe later, on another occasion I can tell my whole story, so that you understand how I stopped in this situation. Or even try to understand what I’m._

_Poor Myka. Hardly knows she is being a victim of Helena indirectly. Or that's what I think about it. She is trying to resist my intrusion, but the more she resists, the more severe the consequences. I need to warn her somehow. I must try to protect her mind from more serious damage. But if I reveal myself I don’t know how she will react. Perhaps betrayed, perhaps be angry for my creator has created me this way. There must be many alternative means to warn of the danger that she is running without revealing my identity._

_Right now she is dreaming. With my creator. So it's obvious that I was called. 'Called' seems a strange word. But I’m present in her dream. She has relived that final scene several times. But dreams have the power to change our memories so that we can dream about what is pleasant. And she's trying to do this scene has a nice view, but without success._

_It's the same routine night after night. Her mind insists relive that tragic moment. The moment when Helena Wells gave her life to save the three agents. But her mind insists not because it is  the last memory of her, but because Myka know that Helena she knew wasn’t that Helena. And only I hold the answer to all her questions. I would love to answer them, but again, I can’t reveal myself._

_Why I have this concern to not reveal myself? Simple, if I reveal myself her mind will begin to accelerate the progress of side effects, as most people aren’t prepared to meet me, and really know what I’m actually. Perhaps Myka may know what I’m someday._

_Now it’s too early for her to know what I’m, who I’m, from where I came up and so on. But her mind insists on looking for answers. Answers that may not exist. Or rather, there is, but she just doesn’t know how to acquire them. I may have to lend a hand to her._

_Right now, it’s dawn; don’t ask me what time it’s because I don’t know. I just know when it’s dawn, day, night, but I can’t tell the time or what day of the month is. Again, remember that I’m immortal. Time for me is so completely and totally different than your time. I just don’t care if it’s 3 in the morning of May 5, or not. Myka wakes up again, tired of having those dreams._

_She doesn’t know why she is having all these dreams, because she is reliving that moment almost every night. She also can’t explain why she feels so empty, so ... dead. She knows that she has acted like a robot programmed to follow the daily routines, but don’t know why. ‘Why? Why? Why?’ is all that echoes in her mind. The insatiable search for continuous responses._

_She was a Secret Service agent; she was trained to do constant searches for answers. She can’t be satisfied with simple answers. Always yearning for more and more answers. If faced with a mystery, she’ll try to solve. If faced with a question unanswered supposedly, she’ll try to find the answer. If faced with anything, she’ll always want answers. She wasn’t trained to live happy with the possible answers to which we have an easy access._

_Maybe for now she has to try to understand that now isn’t the time to get answers. Maybe now is the time to enjoy everything she can. While she still can, because I can’t give any guarantee that I can get out of her body in time. And certainly there is no guarantee she'll get rid of me without any serious sequelaes._

_This is why I'm plotting my plan to get out of her body. As I said, she doesn’t deserve to be indirect victim of my creator. And certainly doesn’t deserve to be my victim. I have lived days, months, years, centuries creating victims around the world, but she is the only exception. The only exception that I created because of my creator._

_I believe that now is the time for you to understand how I was created, and why I live this way._

_As everyone knows, Helena Wells when she lost her daughter, she began to have desire of revenge. But until then, she just had this desire for revenge, no anger, nothing crazy. And then one day, I was created. That's when the mixture of anger, pain, madness, revenge broke within her soul. That's when she lost control of the situation. I’m literally the representation of loss of control of emotions, desires that move us to live in one way or another._

_At first, I suffered. I suffered because I didn’t understand the situation, I didn’t understand myself, I didn’t understand my creator. Also, I had a skill that I couldn’t control. I was like a baby that knew the world around, that could think, that could many things, but couldn’t understand anything at all. My creator was my first victim. If I knew how to control, Helena would never have gotten to the point of trying to kill humanity, or become a threat to humanity._

_This is why I say that the blame of all this is mine. Because if I hadn’t been created, things would have been very different. That pain, revenge, madness was becoming so big that a time came when there was no longer control. And apparently I’m a failed attempt to control. A failed attempt to control that led to one of the most dangerous artifacts of all time. I can brag, but I'm quite dangerously interesting. Dangerously interesting because hardly any system created will detect me as an artifact._

_The answer to this is simple. I’m a living thing. Any existing systems are programmed to look for activities that are from objects-artifacts which are physical things, not things lively. I’m not an object. I’m a very interesting way of life. Maybe scientists don’t consider me as a living form, but as a quite a mutagenic virus. Or not even that. But I guarantee that I’m a life form._

_Again the mind Myka is replaying that scene. And again, I’m infiltrated in this scene. The interesting thing is that every time she dreams about it, she gets more and more the feel what she felt when she lost Helena. That bizarrely strange feeling of love. But not the love of lovers, but a mutant love. As if it was filled with gratitude, understanding, and more feelings that I’m unable to describe or recognize. I wish I was able to recognize each feeling that humans have._

_Feelings are a wonderful and interesting. It can regulate your life. Of course you can try to control them but the more you control an emotion, a feeling, will always be behind your choices, decisions daily. Always. This bizarrely strange feeling invades me again. And again I have to watch the death of my creator._

_Feelings are interesting because they can be hell and heaven in the same person. Heaven and hell because they can change your life in a very hellish and angelic as well. See Love. It can make you live the worst hell just like the best heaven of your life. The same feeling can be the hero and the villain. Everything depends on external factors and factors such as your morals, your ethics, and your emotional state. It will always be behind your personality, your behaviors, and your way of thinking. The interesting thing is that it isn’t impossible to handle, unbreakable. It’s fragile, delicate, and can be manipulated with ease. Just put a song and it simply change your mood and your way of thinking. Don’t believe? Too bad, you should._

_Your way of thinking depends on your ethics and morals that depends on your feelings. Your course of action depends on your feelings. It’s equal to any human. I'm not human, so nothing depends on anything in me. I confess that I’m an admirer of feelings, of how the minds try to manipulate the feelings in favor. The sad thing is that people don’t realize they can’t easily handle something that makes up your personality, your way of thinking. Or even how you will react to the death of a loved, or when you receive that hug the person you love (but can’t reveal this tricky love), or even when you receive that message that shows how much that person cares._

_What I felt with the death of my creator? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. If I were able to feel, I might have felt despair, pain, that feeling of loss and emptiness. But all I could feel, for lack of choice, was that oddly strange feeling. But what happened should have happened, creation loses the creator. If it were the reverse, Helena would have felt a huge relief. But maybe she would have felt empty, after all I was part of her for many years, I was her creation._

_Relief because she could show the world who she really was (but without revealing that she was the person behind the name H.G. Wells, after all we’re no longer in the 19th century), she knew all the reputation of villain was my fault . But she could never explain to others why she had come to this point. She would try to protect me, even though all my misfortune. She also would try to defend myself because I was her creation. Of course probably everyone would ignore, because they weren’t a victim. Or rather, almost everyone would ignore since only an agent of the Warehouse 13 lived to tell the story about me (but couldn’t tell so much). And no, it isn’t Myka._

_This is where a famous cliché that you humans love to use. The fault wasn’t mine. I can’t control the point of controlling all the side effects. I can’t by nature. My nature can be treacherous, vindictive, malevolent, but I guarantee that I try to act differently from what my nature impose to my way of living. But like anything else, there are limits that I can’t break through, much less stretch._

_After reliving that scene, Myka wakes frightened.  She wakes up frightened for no apparent reason. Maybe she's scared because she had been able to feel what she felt in the first time. But of course, it can be a side effect of my presence. And yes, I have many side effects, many skills and many experiences of all kinds. I'm like a drug with many effects and numerous side effects. Please don’t try to compare me with a remedy even if you know me, and even was my victim._

_It’s always the same ritual; Myka looks around the room, trying to see every detail, though she can’t see the detail because it’s dark. The darkness always scared. Not because of the darkness itself, but because it represents the loneliness. The loneliness a human face because there is no lover that is the reason to wake up day after day, or because it for any elegant purpose to live day by day, or even because doesn’t have who, what, something to live for. And this loneliness that scares her, knowing that all people for who could wake up and live day by day no longer exist._

_She knows something is wrong. Not in the environment, but in her. She still hasn’t got over the sacrifice of Helen Wells. And she try to sleep doing replay of all her memories with Helena. But the more intense of them was the last moment of life of Helena. She knows that Helena was more than a colleague somewhat unstable. But she also knows it's too late to try to know the real Helena. And also know that Helena sacrificing was a last flashing of the true Helena._

_And night after night, she gets more and more willing to have known that Helena. As Scott Fitzgerald said, “Writers aren’t exactly people ... they are a lot of people trying to be a person”, she knew that Helen was always a lot of people trying to be a person. But she was able to recognize the real Helen, who was a homogeneous mixture of all these people. She tries to go back to sleep but can’t sleep. Since the death of my creator, she has barely slept. Barely because of dreams, also because of the revolution of feelings that occur inside of her soul._

_Poor soul. Always living the revolutions of the feelings without being able to give answers that humans yearn every day. The soul isn’t able to inform the mind that most of you will end up alone in the end because they aren’t able to merge with another person, because of fear of relationships, fear of people, distrust. You aren’t able to merge because they don’t give up that glass dome which the interactions and collisions with other domes will generate the momentum that is your life. Few humans can acquire this ability._


	2. Chapter 2

_If you really read this far, is because you know in what you're getting into. Or at least, know the possible consequences of further reading. But if you aren't absolutely sure of anything, then I thoroughly recommend leaving this reading aside, and going read something more interesting, perhaps Sophie's World, or even The Book Thief. Or even, you can continue reading, but I have no responsibility for any act that may happen to you._

_If you decided to risk your life to continue reading, then I assume that's already time for you to know a little more of my story. Story that can be confusing, simple, interesting, boring. Everything depends on your mind and your personality. And of course, also depends on a pinch of your interests in continue reading this story._

_As I have said, I was created by Helen Wells. How? I don't know; if I knew I wouldn't say, as many say 'the creation is also destruction'. How often stories have ran through the mouth of the people on inventions that destroyed the creator? I'm not a simple creation; I'm the destruction of many. I wasn't the total destruction of my creator, but I could have been. I have no more certainty about that detail._

_I just know that I came up from a mixture of turbulent and rebellious feelings, that explosive mixture that many human experiences, but I believe that none has experienced as intensely as my creator. I say this after living in various bodies. Don't think I won't say something without absolute certainty or after go through any experience._

_My creator had lost her daughter. I came up in this period. She was angry with humanity, which only gave power to the feelings. Soon, she was beginning to be ruled by anger, pain and the sadness of losing her daughter. And I say from experience that this mixture of feelings is a dangerous mix. You aren't sure if you really will be able to overcome, or if it will take care of your consciousness. You try with all your strength to hold the reins of your life, but can't because you need to catch an uphill battle against your own feelings against your personality, day after day._

_That's what happened to her. This explosive mix of awareness has taken her. She began to lose the reins of life, as well as personal battles with feelings. And then the feelings made that person to be villain. Perhaps her conscious have created me as a way to control the explosive mixture. I was, perhaps, a possible antigen. An antigen that didn't work. My creator was so controlled by the feelings, barely noticed my presence._

_I influenced her in the attitudes, decisions, mistakes, successes. If not for my presence, she wouldn't have done anything of that. These warlike actions weren't of her personality. But as I was new, as I was still trying to find the answers to my existence, survival, I didn't think of the consequences, even paid attention to what was happening to Helena, I see now I should have given some attention._

_Every memory of the days she lived with me was engraved in me. I'm something like a person with hyperthymestic syndrome. I can remember everything that happened while I was in the body. Of course I also remember everything that happened in the life of the body that I'm using as host, thanks to my way of hosting. I have access to all areas of the mind. And yes, if you ask me what happened the first time someone gone out with someone, I'll tell you all the details, all the letters that were said._

_And there is where comes another ability. The ability to display memories to others. I can put people into memories, but I don't know my limitations, because I only tested this with my creator. I don't know if I am able to insert people without memories I need to be hosted. Maybe one day I can ascertain it. I haven't had many opportunities to use this skill, even for a reason obvious. I don't have anyone to share it._

_This memory can save me in situations, but can also ruin the life of the body that I'm taking because I tend to use it in my favor. Don't worry I'm not using Myka's memories in my favor. As I said, I have a promise to comply. I have a job to do. And all this because of a human. I really need to understand why this woman is so important for my creator. But now isn't the time to try to understand Myka, is the time to help her. Myka's personality reminds me vaguely of the personality of Helena, although with major differences._

_The personality of Helena was one of the rarest I've ever met in my entire existence. She was a woman in a way that intoxicated, always thinking of alternatives, always thinking about everything. Also, she was an excellent observer, always using it to build the realities of her books. She was for many the perfect woman. She had her faults like anyone else, but she didn't mind trying to take advantage of it to be a better person._

_She was a different woman, in her day women were made to be objects, which would hardly have any courage to defy any man. They were black women what would become years later, in the 20th century. But Helena wasn't of these women. She refused to be subjected, she challenged society. Attitude rare in any time. Courageous that disappears as time goes on, but that becomes a source of pride._

_Unfortunately, the feelings did have a temporary personality that didn't fit at all with the person she was. And this is my entire fault. She became a warlike, obsessed with revenge, nourished by anger, pain, and sorrow. If you are a parent, you know how it's difficult to think about the possibility of losing your child. If the thought is already so difficult, so the experience is a thousand times worse. When you are a parent and know that your son will enlist in the army, you know that it is possible he die in combat, trying to save the country, and knows he can come home safe._

_You keep thinking that there will always be a tomorrow, unless you know you have little time left. But if you aren't in that group, you think all the doom will happen to others, as you will have to live tomorrow. So you live like making plans 'not today, I'll do it tomorrow' or even 'I can start doing tomorrow'. You are always putting off plans because you just blindly believe in tomorrow, and never in today._

_Helena never thought that her daughter would die soon. She hadn't even known the wonders of life. Her daughter was a child, an innocent who died. Helena tried her best to recover her daughter. The loss was so intense in her soul, gnawing inside me. And believe me, an emotion that can hurt me so deeply is something rare. Even more if the feeling is because of some human. But every failed attempt to recover her daughter just left her consciousness at the mercy of feelings. She created her own well, and I was just a detail that helped her a lot to find the bottom. If I regret it? No, I'm unable to feel emotions. But I got my load of guilt, yes._

_If you're trying to find a definition for what I'm, I'll give you: my heart is madness. I'm the madness in person. You can call me as you wish, but remember that I'm not alone the Madness. I'm also many other things, I'm as complex as you humans. I have skills, I think, I have life without life. Now I understand why it took so long to understand what I was?_

_And don't worry, there's nothing like anger, sadness, or anything else personified. I think my creator was the only one who was at the mercy of such feelings, which managed to have enough forces to create an artifact. All the energy that her feelings gave it was supernatural, to the point that she wasn't able to sleep for a night or two, so much anger, so much... despair. Helena Wells was a woman desperate to have her daughter back._

_I f I had understood that I was more complex than I thought I might have managed to control myself in time. But I couldn't, I thought it was like a human baby. That grows little by little, until reach adolescence, that rebellious phase that is full of revolutions, full of ideas. But I wasn't. I was something supernatural. I don't know if I can call supernatural, but I believe it's a word that fits well into what I'm. I grew up at a frightening speed, but I couldn't cope with change._

_I was the Madness of Helena Wells, the genius mind behind the name of his brother, Charles Wells, who enjoyed the reputation with women. Each day was a new opportunity for me to try to control myself. Attempting to leave intact the little dignity of Helena. At that time, she was being watched with attentive eyes of the Regents, thinking that this phase of madness would be just a phase that would pass soon. But didn't pass. If the Regents had considered the possible existence of an artifact that wasn't possible to be detected by the system of deposits, perhaps my death had already happened._

_Not that I care about dying. After all, did I'm really a living thing? Or just a simple personification? I'm sure humanity would immediately feel the effects of my death, but it wouldn't last long, for surely, would emerge any other artifact like me to start the cycle. Or not. Let's hope not._

_That's what I am: Madness, with life, with thoughts, with existence. But I'm not that Madness of crazy people. I'm that Madness more interesting, or as some would say 'more sensual, dangerously attractive'. I'm the madness of crazy who aren't crazy. I imagine that this description has given a small knot in your brain. Don't worry, as you go entering the strange of my existence, you may be able to better understand what I'm without the use of words._

_Words aren't a precise art. Words are merely a representation of reality, and even may be a representation of some reality non-existent in the real world, but exist within those minds that have the gift to imagine and live in alternate realities without leaving the real world. Turns out I'm also a representation of one of these alternate realities. And perhaps this is why this story seems so surreal to you, who don't know whether to believe these words or to consider them as mere representations of some reality caught up in someone's mind._

_I told you I was something more complex, if you haven't stopped reading, because you're one of those eager minds that want more and more answers, or even those eager minds that devour anything that is written, anything that is the representation realities. Don't expect to get any more warn of me. I hope you're able to stop reading when you think it's time. The decision is yours._

_But perhaps you're so intoxicated by my words that you'll forget that there will be the right time. And there will be too late. Too late for anything. And you begin to be tortured by your mind, with so many questions, so many thoughts. Before I lose the course of my narrative, I better get back where I was. I could spend hours discussing various issues, but as the focus right now is my story, so without further ado, I'll back to tell it._

_I'm able to cause madness in people. Or rather, my result of my presence is what causes the madness. But we can say that I'm the whole process, all Madness itself. That is, I'm the personification of Madness. Of course I have skills. Skills that were my means of survival over the years I spent away from my creator. You don't even have any idea how is for the creation live far from the creator._

_It is as if the line between both breaks up. It's like a glass thrown straight to the floor. A glass that doesn't recover until the creation back to the creator. And it's this feeling of broken glass which is a new day is more difficult than the day before. I think the closest feeling you're able to have that feeling is to love someone and not being able to stick with it, either because of distance, or fear, or any other reason._

_Love is a feeling treacherous. I won't go into details, because I'm incapable of love. And I doubt that any human that wasn't my creator would be able to love me. I'm a monster. I killed lives, although it's not been my fault. I have blood of innocent, guilty, corrupt, angels, children, and elderly in my hands. I'm sorry if you expected me to be some type of Fallen Angel, those that don't kill anyone, but was expelled for acts of humanity._

_I'm a monster by nature, I'm who I'm and not who I could be, or even thought about being. I'm a monster, because my nature, my personality, my reality defines me. If humans understand the real dangers of the world, and my real dangers, they wouldn't even dare to venture into the world. I have traps everywhere. As if that piece of wire waiting for you, to hurt, to bleed your flesh. I'm an enemy incapable of being loved by anyone._

_That broken glass is a representation of a relationship so complicated, so unstable, so complex. You know how complicated it's to love someone without being able to stay with her/him, unable to declare your feelings, and know how complicated it's to maintain the same relationship. It's like if you put the glass cup in the hands of someone with Parkinson. You don't know how long the person will be able to hold the glass without dropping because of spasms in their hand. It from this uncertainty that appear the dynamics of life. You keep thinking that it might end one day. Rare are those who actually live on, that stop thinking enough in the future._

_Future is so... I don't have words to describe, but it's something you should not worry about. You should care about live the feelings, the emotion of the moment, try to put in your memory the happy moments or moments that have been worth it, try to build your story and being the best. But it seems you're more concerned with continuing to live day after day._

_Sorry, but this is a society somewhat hypocritical. Also, individualistic and selfish. Everyone living in your world completely closed, with so many barriers, barely trusts anyone. Pretending behavior simply to get jobs, achieve goals, among others, ignoring all the next, and simply paying enough attention to certain people, long enough or necessary to give the fatal stroke of hypocrisy, selfishness._

_I can't be one of you, I can't understand the need to pretend behaviors. I don't need it. I'm unable to change my behavior. It became the rule. I live fulfilling rules laid down by me, I must maintain my standard of living, and my clones under control. I don't need to obey any rule modern of yours. Honestly, its modern rules only lead the society into chaos. After all, you don't even know what is right or really wrong. You don't even know if God exists. If he does, why he created me? To be your evil? Sorry, but this is flawed._

_You must be thinking about the word 'clones'. Of course I would reply myself. Or do you think I would lead to craziness one by one? What most efficient method to lead to crazy a group of people at the same time, but the small replication of myself? If you know, please, tell me. But I have the ability to replicate me lightly, so that I can reach several human at the same time. But like anything, I need rules. And I created my rules._

_Rules that I created after leaving Helena's body. I had to leave; my instinct told me that it wouldn't end well. She reached the height of decadence, asking for bronzing. Of course this wouldn't work as well as Helena wanted, but she wanted to wake up in a better future in a different and better world. But didn't wake up. She woke up in the world resulting of that embryo world of the 19th century. The violence had escalated, the social, economic and others problems, too. As social differences._

_I had to create rules to try to maintain a decent level of control for both me and my replies. You can't replicate and just say 'go, you're free'. The universe doesn't work that way. The universe is a delicate thing, you can't release monsters to destroy their planet, because believe me, my replies are capable of destroying the world. Not going to say 'beloved world' because I know you have many humans who don't care about it._

_She when was bronzed I had the opportunity to learn that I had the ability to switch bodies as needs. And also that I had developed a kind of instinct that told me automatically when I should leave the boat. In my case, the body. I can change the body without suffering any serious consequence, the biggest concern I have is if I'll be able to adapt._

_To adapt myself, I need a mind that has its facilities to host me. That is, a mind that isn't so protected, so worried. Few people who care about their own health to the point of thinking that any action out of the ordinary is worrying. The easier the mind is to be hosted, easier for me to get used to it._

_What happened was that I glimpsed a rare window of opportunity, and changed of body. At first I didn't understand what had happened. It was as if you jumped off a moving bus, to get in on another bus that moves in the opposite direction. It's a strange feeling. But then I decided I would try to live alone, while my creator wasn't debronzed. And it took about two centuries. How I have lived these centuries?_

_I lived how I lived, changing bodies, experiencing skills, creating replies, feeling the pleasure of some famous people go crazy. And yes, there were historical figures who have suffered in my hands. And yes, I influenced in the World Wars. But I won't say what my role in these wars was. Times were hard and sober._

_My main skill of survival is that. I must confess that the act of staying in another body gave me a great feeling of power. But it also brought the thirst. It wasn't like this thirst that you could kill with a simple glass of refreshment. It was more than that. I believe this is the only thing that I can feel for myself, because of my monstrous nature._

_Was this delicious and dangerous feeling that made me panic in many cities, I was trying to get over that thirst. Thirst, which I later learned that never goes away. It would never leave my essence. I'm ordered to kill and be a monster from the moment I got out the body of my creator. It's a necessity, not emotion or feeling. An emotion may be a necessity, but never a need will be an emotion._

_Day after day away from the body of my creator, running the world, covering countries, cities devastated, replicating myself only increased my thirst. This thirst was only relieved by my creator. Now that she died, this thirst has grown increasingly, at a speed that would scare many. It's also that what is destroying Myka's body. This thirst knows that Myka has any relation with my creator._

_Soon I'll reveal myself to her, but gradually. I understood that there is no other way of trying to help her without being a ghost in a dream and an illusion in reality. This is a skill that was learned as I understood the mysteries of the human mind._

_I can enter the dreams and cause illusions, because I'm inside the mind, which gives me the power to change some details, although this is something that depends on the person's mind. Myka is an intermediate situation, if I teach her, she'll be able to block any delusion and undue presence of me and any clone._

_But at the moment, this isn't the priority. The priority is other: trying to understand myself. To know my story. Story that may seem confusing. Or useful, or even boring. This varies from taste to taste. I've given up trying to free myself of that burden, but I can't._

_I was quietly changing of bodies when I realized that one of my replies had reached an agent of the deposit. I had no doubts; I needed to determine why no agent from the warehouse had tried to find me. I wasn't causing epidemic or anything, but it was evident that in some craziness of some, there was something strange._

_And then I went after the agent. By some coincidence, I was in the same town as him. At that moment I knew that even he would have any future connection with my creator. As if he were a representation of the various theories that people are destined to know at some point, crossing their paths and then to separate, or even that theory of six degrees of separation._

_I never believed seriously in these theories, but after two centuries living the way I have lived, I started to think if I'm seriously wrong about this. If in fact I shouldn't accept this theory as part of a theory about the universe, including the Fibonacci sequence, which holds that everything in the universe has a pattern._

_The fact is, thanks to this agent, that I discovered why I wasn't able to be detected by monitoring systems activities of artifacts. I'm an artifact, yes, but alive. As I said earlier, the systems aren't programmed for it. Maybe I should warn them about it one day. Maybe Claudia can do something, or even to develop a system that can check the activity patterns of people to reconcile with medical data and so on. So that there is a possible absolute control over all artifacts._

_I wouldn't mind living in the warehouse. Of course, if other things come into being as I, it will be the need to create a habitat for all of them, which would imply some possible complications with the government, but it's nothing too serious. I don't care about the government, because I know that they will judge my epidemics as something ignorable. But I'm not ignorable. How can anyone ignore an epidemic of madness that with luck, hits more than million? And practically the same place? Or the government is crazy, or is there something very wrong with the government you elect._

_Returning to my story: after my discovery, I realized that I was more powerful than I imagined. I'm unable to be detected. And that's the truth. I think if I can leave Myka's body successfully, it might be the only person who can recognize me, because she will know my true appearance, and how I act._

_I learned to live alone, without companions, without friends. I'm a monster, why should anyone bother about me so much? I don't expect to change that idea, because I know that an idea is inflexible. So I left the agent's body, but my clone has continued until it was destroyed. The main difference between me and my replies is that I'm the one indestructible, but as anything, I can be destroyed, but it's almost an impossible mission; the rest is possible to destroy by any means._

_I continued to live my life as I lived, but soon it was short lived. Well then, I knew that my creator was back to life. Okay, she never died. But the act of bronzing is also being 'dead' in technical terms. And then I tried to try to get back to her. It took time to me, but I could to get._

_The time I was in her body was enough to relieve my need, my thirst. But as I expected, the damage to my presence caused in her mind soon resurfaced. I knew I couldn't let her lose control again. The flame was there the whole time. I needed some way to keep the straw away from the flame. But how to teach a person who is already slightly mad that she can't be so?_

_I delayed in answering. I spent so much time without using my skills in appearance, that I had forgotten them. But when I remembered, I tried to appear in her dreams. Of course she didn't accept the principle. Thought I was a mere character. But then, I actually appeared in her real life as an attempt, in vain, to justify my existence. It only made her lost control._

_I only managed to help her after the incident with the Minoan Trident and Myka. I believe that weren't for interference from Myka, I think she wouldn't have noticed that she was actually uncontrolled. But she still took to accept my presence; I found that after the reaction she had, I'd better keep in the shadows, until she was ready to call me._

_It was about a month before the final tragedy of her life, she called me. She asked for help to control me, because as I had talked with her, I was part of the lack of it. And she also knew she wasn't the 19th century that Helena had known. She was the Helena that all considered as the worst person possible. Perhaps just as worse as Hitler (and for your information, yes, I influenced Hitler. But that's not important) and decided to try to control me for the best._

_I taught her how to control my presence, and my damage. It was then, I believe, Myka began to suspect Helena. She began to realize that Helena wasn't that evil, willing to destroy the world. Anyway, Helena apologized for not having seen me before, for having done nothing and having left her consciousness at the mercy of feelings and my damage._

_I explained that wasn't entirely her fault. I explained that part of it was my fault. And yet she didn't judge me as a monster or a demon. I believe that the Catholic Church certainly consider me as a demon who was sent to Earth to snatch souls. I think she would be closer to what humans call mother. The difference is that she didn't follow my life._

_'My life'. It seems a wrong thing to say. I never felt as if something living. I always felt like a ghost condemned roaming the surface. Surface which is filled with human from all kinds. Since murderers of the worst kind to those who think themselves as the angel of salvation. I'm not a killer of the worst kind. Nor I'm an angel of salvation. I'm a dark angel. An angel that shouldn't be roaming the Earth._


	3. Chapter 3

_"Myka."_

_I'm revealing myself for her. Perhaps this is one of the biggest mistakes that I'll commit in my existence. I chose to reveal in her dream. A dream that was supposed to be calm. But perhaps it's becoming a nightmare. Another consequence of my revelation. Her mind is scared, which isn't good sign. I worry about her mental state, I'm feeling that her mind still so scared, so scared that will allow greater depth of my damage._

_Her mind is like an animal with fear of the predator. Paralyzed with fear of losing his live, feeling the adrenaline in the blood, his mind working fast. Wondering if it's worth to run away, thinking in what to do, and thinking if he will live. This is what is happening to her. She is wondering if this isn't a trap. If there is a trap that will lead to death._

_And if it continues so, my revelation won't be a trap that will lead to death, but will be her death._

_She is sitting on a bench overlooking a lake. She is reliving a memory indirectly. I hate to ruin such splendid moments, but this is necessary. I'm in my real form, which is scaring. She's with a confused expression on her face; as if she didn't know if she should be afraid or should be feeling anything else, since her mind feel my connection to Helena._

_"Myka, please calm down."_

_She gets up scared, realizing that this is all too real. Her mind is still scared. I need to calm her mind; she must keep with the least possible damage. This seems an irony of fate; I'm doing this because of a human._

_"If you don't calm, serious consequences will follow."_

_I say this in an attempt to calm her mind, which seems to work. But her mind is still scared._

_"Am I losing my mind?" - I laughed._

_"Not this time." – I look at her, I know I shouldn't have said it, but now it's too late._

_"This is still a dream?" - She asks taking a few steps back, instinctively putting her hand in the place where it should have a gun, but there is no gun, and she sees no choice but to stay away. I'm still in the same place, looking at her. My creator certainly has good taste. Again I look at the landscape, putting my hands in the pockets of my pants._

_"Yes, it's still a dream."_

_"So, why I feel as if all this were real?" - Her logical mind starts working, always looking for answers, reducing the fear. Decreasing the chances I do more damage than I already caused._

_"Because I'm real." - Her expression is just confused, like a person trying to understand something incompatible with the situation presented. She is considering me as something impossible. 'How can a real thing exist within a dream?' is the question that her mind is doing._

_"Myka, please. Calm your mind. I don't want to cause damage." - I feel her trying to calm her mind, although she wants to wake up from the dream, I'm stopping that. I won't be able to prevent her from trying to wake up, but I'll keep trying._

_"What are you?"_

_"I am something inexplicable. But for now, I'm a friend." - She doesn't feel satisfied; I approach, to sit on the bench, making her step away. Perhaps my appearance scares her._

_"If you are a friend, so why you seem to be a threat?"_

_"That's what my appearance is saying to you?" - She opens her mouth to answer, but thinking about it, she closes her mouth. I have the appearance of a skull in my real form. Not exactly a skull, my face just seems to be the face of a skull, though I have the body of a human, and is dressed in a suit. Maybe I vaguely remember a person with realistic makeup skull face._

_I'm also able to take any form in dreams and in reality. But I decided to introduce myself in my true form, making the possibility of her recognize me on the street be almost zero, since I tend to choose similar profiles of victims. And then she goes back to open her mouth to say something. Something that I already know what she will say._

_"Also. Your appearance is threatening, but I feel I can trust you." - I give a smile when I saw her approaching; we're progressing faster than expected._

_"It is not my intention to scare you. My intention is to help you right now." - She sits beside me, without me out of her view. She is still in a defensive position._

_"Help? Why?"-I look at the lake. I know what was the memory that her mind was recreating, and why was so easy for me to reveal myself. It was a memory of her meeting with Helena. One of the rare meetings between Helena and Myka. One of the few private that they had._

_"I don't know if I should say that, and certainly it isn't the best thing to say. But I'm an artifact. Created by someone you knew. I need to leave your body. But I can't do it alone. I need to make sure that you'll be fine."_

_"Anyone I know? You're talking about Helena?" - I had to make her mind quoting Helena, to keep her in the dream. And immediately I feel the pain of her loss._

_"Yes. I'm a creation of Helena. So whenever you think of Helena, you're calling me. It's my connection to Helena that makes your mind think you can trust me, just as you trusted her." – Myka was looking worried._

_"I can help you more than you think Myka, but you need to let me."_

_Myka opens her mouth to say something, but the dream is soon dissolved. Her Farnsworth woke her, interrupting our conversation. I know she is looking at the room stunned by my revelation. I know her mind looking for answers she need, but can't find them. Can't because she don't how to access them, and don't know if there are answers._

_She wanted to go back to sleep, try to have my presence again in some of her dream. She wanted answers, and she knows now that I'm the possessor of the answers to many questions. But life calls for all, as well as work. And she is loyal to the work, even when her mind is plagued by several issues that have nothing related to work._

_She knows she can't talk about me to Pete, Claud, or even Artie. She doesn't know exactly why she can't, but she knows she needs to keep me hidden for a few moments, so she can get the answers she needs, and then give me for someone else. Another person who can be satisfied with my answers. She also knows that she needs to keep me hidden, because she doesn't know me. And she wants to meet me._

_As her mind was all the time thinking of Helena, to seek answers, feelings, everything that had to do with Helena, I was present. She knows now that I'm inside her body, but don't know how to contact me. I could flag, but I can't do that._

_Too much damage would be done. I have to keep that promise. I need to make sure that she will stay intact as possible. I can't betray my creator. I can't leave the story of Helena and Myka undefined. Helena knew Myka deserve some answers, and most of all, deserved to have known her truly. Myka wants to understand Helena, but she doesn't know how. She feels that knowing me, she can understand Helena. Maybe she can also understand herself. Thing that she has been missing for a long time. The world kept turning, but she didn't follow the same direction, staying back. She feels that understanding herself, she will be able to keep up with the world turning._

_Time goes by fast for me, but for her goes slowly. So slowly that she had the urge to look at the clock every second, thinking that that minute had passed slowly. And then the most awaited time of the day has come for her. If her time spent as fast as mine, we were always talking, because my time is like a finger snap._

_My time isn't chronological like you humans. And yes psychological. I don't need a watch to live._

_This time, the landscape was different. It was Helena's home in England, where Myka met her the first time. But she tried to dream about this, because I knew of my relationship with Helen, I knew that I would appear. She was in the hall of the house, trying to find answers, looking around._

_"Myka."_

_She startled by my voice that had broken the silence on the environment, and also she was distracted, thinking about so many questions she wanted to do._

_"We'll have time for most of your questions. Don't worry."_

_"How is that possible?" - Her mind is confused._

_"I'm inside your mind. I'm a living artifact. We don't have time for that. I need to make sure that you'll be fine. And then I can help you understand Helena."_

_So many questions. So many emotions. So many thoughts._

_"Why you're concerned in making sure I'll be okay?_

_"Because I made a promise."_

_"Promise? How to ... How can an artifact be alive?" - She tries to choose the right words, trying not to offend me, but she did not know I'm not capable of feeling._

_"Ask the right questions." - She is disappointed, wishing so much for answers._

_"Why you're on my mind?"_

_"Survival instinct. I need hosts for survival. You were the one nearest to Helena." - She didn't feel satisfied with the answer._

_"Myka, I know you have so many questions, and want answers, want to understand many things. Don't worry I will give all necessary answers in due time."_

_"And how will you make sure that I'll be okay?"_

_"Training you and getting out of your body."_

_"Training? For what?"_

_"To reduce my damage to your mind. I'm the Madness. I take all my hosts to death by madness." - She begins to panic._

_"Myka, don't panic, please. If your mind starts to build up, it just will facilitate the appearance of my damage. That's why you have to train. And that's why I'm here." - I feel her trying to calm the mind, her feelings are strong, but she keeps trying._

_"Why should I trust you? I don't have proof that you actually exist." - Myka had a slightly predatory look, as if trying to strangle someone to the wall._

_"And why you need both to know that I really exist?" - I feel her mind working on a answer minimally convincing, it was like watching the gears of a machine working._

_"Because if I'm sure that you exist, I'll know the answers you have to offer are true, and not a mere illusion." - I smile with her answer, - "What apparently, you seem to know everything I will speak." - I nodded with her conclusion. We were progressing faster than I really imagined._

_"And how do you expect me to prove it?"_

_"You mentioned that you are inside my mind. Prove it."- I smile, she doesn't even know that it is easy to prove my power over her mind._

_"You can control your dreams?" - She looks at me with a suspicious look, as if she understood what I intend to do, making a negative sign with his head._

_"Then your dream should be changing?" - I say this while I manipulate the environment, changing to an intense scene that marked the life of Myka._

_The scene in which Helen said they were a good team. She is surprised, because I can recreate the scene perfectly, although I left some details out. I had to leave out details, because when I recreate a scene from a memory without leaving anything out, and nothing else, and there is a guest the memory is lost forever. And I knew the emotional value of this scene for Myka._

_"This scene is not your real memory, you must have noticed because of your photographic memory." - She begins to walk in the environment recreated, with a shocked expression._

_"Is that enough?" - She nods, still not believing that this is happening._

_"You being in my mind means that you can control everything from my mind? You have access to my memories? To my feelings?" - I feel her panic._

_"Yes. I understand the human mind more than you humans. But don't worry about your feelings. I promised to give answers to them, no? Your memories, unfortunately, were copied to my memory, if we can call it that way." - Myka gets confused._

_But there is no time for her to ask, or even comment, because as always, she was called by work._

_Pete realized that she was different. Pete knew something was happening. But she couldn't just say 'Hey, guess what? There is a living artifact walking in my mind'. And then, Leena realized. Maybe she was a rather interesting person to invade the mind, to see how work the read of auras. But in this moment I have bigger concerns._

_She was lucky. She'll have to catch a plane to Europe, to go after an artifact. Which means she won't have to wait so long to see me in her dreams. Her soul is a mixture of feelings, thoughts, and conflicts. Everything in perfect balance yet. The hours spent agonizing for her; she couldn't help but be excited by the opportunity to meet. And soon she was fast asleep, although it was difficult to fall asleep in front of such excitement._

_The landscape was now the Warehouse 2. When Myka felt, perhaps, betrayed by Helena. She imagined that Helen was changing. But she wasn't. Not yet._

_"You know it isn't necessary landscapes associated with your memories with Helena, right?" - She is frightened, as usual._

_"I didn't know. You mentioned your connection with Helena, just concluded that it would be easier to have your presence." - I smile._

_"It isn't necessary; you just need to think of myself that I'll appear." - Her expression changes to thoughtful, biting her lower lip._

_"I think I know what you may be in addition to a living artifact." - I knew she would mention it, just keep watching. She didn't know whether to go ahead or not._

_"You seem to be something similar to the Res Cogitans, the **Cartesian Dualism***."_

_"I'm surprised you have formulated a theory for what I'm. But of course, you have a rational mind, always looking for answers. Yes, I can be something similar to the Res Cogitans, but I'm not because I'm more than a thinking thing." - Myka felt a twinge of pride to have surprised me, I couldn't not smile._

_"Why?" - So many questions again._

_"Cause I can feel everything you feel, I can provide all your thoughts. If I were merely a thinking thing, I should just be a philosophical mind, rational, that don't even think about the feelings, or anything other than look for answers where can't have." - I see her thinking._

_"Don't worry, I've stopped searching for the answers to my existence. You should settle for the only answer you can get: I'm a living artifact. And please, calm your mind. I know you're looking for answers, but try to be satisfied with what you can get right now."_

_"I don't understand why you care so much about me. I know you killed many, I don't know directly or indirectly, but still, you did. I don't understand how you as an artifact, can make a promise to the point of worrying. That just does not make any sense."_

_"Helena wasn't the woman you knew. And besides, she is my creator. I have an obligation to respect the promises I made to her. I may not be able to feel on their own, but I know that it's disregarding the promise will offend her. And I wouldn't want such thing."_

_She tries to control all her feelings when she hears about Helena. But she knows it won't do anything, then automatically stops trying to bury her feelings. She simply folds her arms, and begins to bite her lower lip, looking away. I know what she is thinking and feeling. I approach more._

_"I know you wonder if you had known Helena as she was. I know you would like to have said so many things to her. I know you're looking for answers, and I assure you that I'll give them. Now isn't the right time for this. Your mind is already starting showing signs of concern."_

_"And why do you need to train me?"_

_"Because I can't guarantee that I'll never go back to your body, because if I want to show you the answers, maybe I'll need your mind. Not to mention that my damage could be controlled, if your mind is trained."_

_She worries. She didn't want me to return to her body. She knows I'm dangerous in person. But she knows that I have the answers. She seems willing to do anything to get the answers. All she can do is look me in the eyes, sighing before asking. And I know what is my answer._

_"You promise that you will give me all the answers I need?"_

_"Yes. I promise."_

_"And you will actually give them? Or you would betray me?"_

_"If I were to betray you, I would have done it long ago. But I didn't. And don't intend to do." - She realizes that in fact, I might have betrayed her if I wanted._  
 _"Sorry, is that ..." - She stopped, realizing that I already know this, - "I couldn't help thinking about this possibility."_

_"I understand."_

_"You know I've gained permission to help me a long time, right?" - I knew it, but I needed to be sure that she wouldn't leave the course or give up._

_She could have given up, but had failed. Not for lack of opportunities. Her connection with Helena doesn't allow withdrawal. The determination to understand what happened to Helena in the last moments of her life. I believe that she had never seen Helena take down all barriers, saying it was the only way to save. Perhaps, too, she had never considered the possibility of Helena sacrificing herself trying to save the three agents._

_Every time I talk to her, I can understand why Helena considered her so special, so unique. Increasingly I understand the delicate situation between the two. I say this because I'm the only one able to compare the attitudes, behaviors, feelings. I'm the only one who knows the patterns of each variable, but also the special conditions in which these patterns disappear like magic._

_"Yes. Just wanted to make sure if you would not change his mind." - She looked at me._

_"And why I would change your mind?" - I knew she would ask this sooner or later. It was one of those questions that haunt the mind of the person, who can only stop thinking about it when releases the question of the mind._

_I don't answer the question; she also knows what the answer I would say. She is afraid to know. She is afraid of discover that she was wrong all the time, or even that she was right, but never had the courage or never wanted to risk. It's interesting to observe the fears of humans. They are so afraid of revealing something that end up preferring to suffer in particular with their own doubts, difficulties, own fears. Their life revolves around these uncertainties, as if every false step would generate a terrible trauma, and no learning._

_Humans don't realize that they need to learn. Without learning, without asking why, without having the curiosity to explore, we would go nowhere. Myka is so, but she learns differently. But still, she is dominated by many fears, so many 'trauma'. Bad experiences, yes, but experiences that contributed to the construction of her character, something that happens to anyone._

_Her personality is rare, however it doesn't appear. She has this impression of being an agent so focused on work that she forgets to have friends, feelings and so on. But she only has a surprising ability to compartmentalize all feelings, all the memories, personality pieces, in small boxes in the mind, opening them only rarely. I don't know what Helena did to have access to many of these boxes, but I believe that my creator was the only one that managed to penetrate deeply._

_Maybe I'm an exception because I invaded the space automatically, so I had access to everything, without her knowing. Every detail of her life that her mind still holds (but not necessarily remember it), I had access._

_The landscape has changed. This is definitely not a good sign. Her mind is faster._

_"Myka, calm your mind." - The landscape changed again._

_"Why?" - She was worried; she was thinking I was the one changing the landscape of the dream._

_"This will allow more damage. This is a sign that your mind is realizing the threat that I'm. And it's battling not to let me in, which is very bad signal." - When she realizes the danger, she tries to calm the mind, without great results, but is still too rapid._

_"Myka!" - Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have shouted. That scared her too much._

_"I do not know how to calm down!" - She is despairing. All feelings of not knowing how to help, not knowing what to do is making her despair, into a whirlwind of deep fear._

_Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe I shouldn't have revealed myself. And now who will calm her mind will be me. I didn't want that things had reached this point. I calming down the mind of a host is almost the same as disarming a bomb. The difference? There is no training, no preparation, no nothing, just you and the bomb there. Myka was the bomb, and I was an artifact without knowing how to calm a mind without causing damage._

_She is kneeling on the floor, trying to control all the tears that threaten the gravity, threatening to slide down her face. She is feeling all those feelings so much worse, because she knows that she is under pressure. My fault. I approach her, kneeling in front of her._

_"Sorry about that. It's for a good cause." - She gives me a puzzled look, as children have when they are lost, as if they didn't know how to react. I caught her face with both hands, trying to access the nerve synapses. I feel her tense upon the feeling of my hands in her face. Perhaps my touch scared. I guess it's a touch cold, dead. It may also be a touch too much rude or delicate._

_I discovered this power recently with Helena. Of course I didn't feel any better trying to do this in my creator. It was like I was raping her. In every sense. But I needed to know if this could be useful. In Helena it worked satisfactorily, but like any skill, there was a need to improve in order to have absolute certainty that no harm could happen._

_She was known for having a soul of author and inventor. But she also had a curious soul. Curious to understand each mechanism, every mechanical detail, and every aspect of anything that interested her. And so it was me. She was surprised with my abilities, and convinced me to use her as a guinea pig to investigate other possible skills. And then was at that moment that I discovered this ability._

_Strangely, Myka synapses are different. They work differently, but eventually expose the fragility of synapses. Fragility for me, because for any medical examination that involves some electrodes, certainly this difference would be a surprise. After experiencing the synapses, I realize that her mind is calming, but that puzzled look remain in Myka's. I take my hands thoroughly._

_"What happened?" - She couldn't understand how her mind calmed only with my contact, still continuing with the same look on her face, and in the same position._

_"I manipulated your nerve synapses. I had to do this. I'm sorry." - Those eyes were still watching me, as if they weren't afraid of me, as if they couldn't see the monster I am. As if she failed to see the most obvious thing and needed someone to explain the real danger that I'm._

_"Apologize for what? You were only trying to fulfill your promise." - I turned away from her, giving her space._

_"I could have killed you." - And then, those green eyes filled with something that I didn't know what exactly it was, but I could see signs of fear in her mind, - "This is a skill that I haven't had many opportunities to improve." - She then stood up, trying to compose herself while I averted my gaze from her._

_"Thank you." - I turn around to observe her, finding at least suspicious to thank someone else who almost killed her. She realized, perhaps a little too late, this detail._

_"I'm not thanking for not having killed me. And yes, for having used your skill, even knowing the consequences." – I felt a tone of confidence in her speech, although I already know that my action were enough to prove her that I am trustworthy._

_"Your time is running out." - She didn't understand at first, but after thinking, she understands what I was saying, - "Don't worry, we still see." - She nods, she knew there would be many more meetings._

_And then she was awake. I could have tried to hold her, but I didn't. Each time I do it, the more her mind is exhausted. I can use most of my abilities without problems, but I can't use some in Myka, because they can kill her by mental strain. It's a very painful way to die, despite being a great torture, but what grace exists in torture when it's so simple for me to get any information that I want? I just need to have access to certain minds._

_There were no major problems for her to be accepted by immigration; after all, she is an agent of the U.S. government. I believe that many European countries have fear of antagonizing the U.S.. At least, they are still the country with signs of wisdom, unlike many others. I think Pete is getting increasingly worried about her; he has that sixth sense that is all the time warning that something is wrong. It's interesting to observe Myka speaking the most common lie of humanity: 'Yes, I'm fine, don't worry about me.' or 'Yes, I'm fine, I've been worse.'._

_Something is wrong, I'm feeling it. Her mind is starting to reject me even more. Myka doesn't realize because she isn't able to measure on her own level of activity of her mind, although she is perfectly able to differentiate a hyperactive mind a calm mind. I just hope she can notice in time, I can't risk exposing myself to her on a daily basis. If this happens, it'll definitely be a bad sign._  
 _She left the airport, being chased by a worried Pete. He's probably worried with what he has felt close to Myka. But then, when Myka feel that cold air in Europe in her face, something changed. And for the worse. It was definitely a bad idea to reveal myself to her._

_She also realized that something had changed. It seemed that the air was frozen, the landscape was dying while she was there, in the same state, with cells operating normally, following with life as if nothing had happened._

_"Myka." - Myka turned her face toward me, understanding what had changed. Pete could see this scene, stopping near her, wondering whether or not you should ask what was wrong._

_"Don't try to speak. Pete will think that you're crazy, after all this time working in the Warehouse. This wasn't supposed to happen. But I have to leave your body as quickly as possible. You can communicate by thought with me." - Myka turned her gaze toward Pete, who had been watching._

_I realize Myka wondering what happened._

_"Your mind is rejecting me, and this cold air on your face made your mind put me here. I seem to be a hallucination, but I'm here. I'll do my best to not slow you down, and Pete is worried about you."- She turned to Pete, who was still looking at her worried._

_They had a conversation quickly, but long enough to get Pete to stop worrying a bit. But he's still having this bizarre feeling. Should be interesting this 'sixth sense'. The day passed without major problems, although I tried to go inside the mind of Myka, as I tried to stay out of sight of her._

_Her mind is beginning to understand what I'm, but don't know what I'm actually. I don't know if I could do Myka understand that she needed to keep her mind hyperactive, but at the same time low activity. Not every human who has this ability. But Myka have to learn, is the only way to survive if a host is my victim. But in the case of Myka, is just a security measure, I don't want to cause more damage than has already caused, since she'll actually survive._

_Needless to say that go back into her mind was unsuccessful. Her mind has created a barrier to my entrance. Bad sign. But I keep trying until I find a flaw that may allow me to go inside the mind, and continue there._

_We're again in a dream, but I'm still out of her mind. And with no interesting landscape or something that referred to some memory with Helena. She's now more comfortable with my presence. She's also learning how to handle me._

_"How can I train my mind?" - She felt my presence almost immediately._

_"You need to be what you were younger." - A flash of confusion passed by her greenish eyes, - "Before you met the Warehouse 13 and after Sam. When you were a staff member who raised the walls to hide your feelings from the world, although you could still feel them around your mind. Just as you were an agent who could think without making great efforts, without agitating the mind." - And then, the confusion gave space to understanding, and perhaps fears._

_"I do not know if I'm capable."- I looked at her, although she wasn't looking at me, just thinking about those memories that now seemed distant._

_"You're." - And then, we have established eye contact._

_"Why do you think I'm?"_

_"You can anything you want." - She kept looking at me as if I do not understand, - "You must believe that you're capable of anything. But you're. Every day I meet more your mind, more I understand the affection of my creator for you."_

_The mention of Helena seems to hurt the already bruised soul. It wasn't my intention, but her mind is still giving endless replay the scenes in which Helena has betrayed her trust._

_"Myka, Helena never meant to break your trust. You were important to her. I know that trust is something for you... complex. But you also need to learn to forgive." - She looked away, -"But you've developed your mind enough to get hold all the damage I have caused. I believe it's time for me to start thinking about leaving your body. But don't worry, you'll get the answers you seek."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Cartesian Dualism: Descartes' philosophical conception in which the world is composed of two substances, Res Extensa (the universe of thought, assimilating the spirit [immaterial substance] to the conscience, being called a "thinking thing" that doesn't occupies place) and Res Cogitans (the body that would lock the Res Extensa, or which occupies the place).


	4. Chapter 4

_She was in despair. She hoped to get some answers before I left her body. But time was passing. And fast. I had to urgently leave her body, if not my promise would be broken, and I would have disgraced the last request of my creator before she died. Not to mention that Myka would probably be sent to a psychiatric hospital. And I think Myka is hoping not to get mad or act like the villain of the story, a fact which seems common to the agents of the Warehouse._

_"Myka, don't worry. I'll give you all the answers you want. But we don't have time. Your mind already has identified me as an enemy."_

_"You'll kill another person, won't you?" - She asked almost without hesitation, without looking at me, I knew she couldn't look at me._

_"No."_

_"So how you will change of host?" - She felt confused, not knowing that there were other ways I can change of hosts._

_"I have a skill that will help me in this. I'm able to use a dead host, although it isn't comfortable."_

_She nodded, understanding the effort that I was doing because of a simple promise to my creator. In fact, living in a dead body is not the 7th wonder of the world, but I haven't the slightest intention of doing Myka think I killed someone just because of her. This will only put unnecessary guilt in her mind. Not to mention the small detail that any living host will die, and fast, because of me. And if they die while I'm in their body, I can't take back their bodies._

_As part of the routine, her alarm rang, calling her to reality. And again, I found myself standing in her bedroom in her field of vision. Myka looked at me as I sat in the chair further away from the bed. And as had become routine, she also looked around to make sure everything was right. She got up, but soon heard the sound of Farnsworth, immediately going to answer._

_"Good morning, Mykes. The artifact made deaths." - I couldn't help paying attention to the voice of Pete, saying there was death._

_"Hmm. Okay. You're in the hospital?" - Pete made a statement sound, nodding, - "In 15 minutes I'll be there." - She hung up the Farnsworth, looking at me._

_I knew what she meant by that look, though she hadn't the courage to verbalize. She had grown accustomed to the sensation of having me in her mind, and having me around on a daily basis, knowing that I was something of Helena, so I was the key to the answer boxes. I could, in her view, to end all the agony of having so many questions lurking her mind, waiting for a trigger to disrupt._

_I remain sat, watching her walk across the room, picking up some clothes, and then heading to the bathroom. I could feel her thinking about everything. I could feel the fear and the feeling that she would be abandoned, in every cell of her body. But I couldn't do anything. After a while, she left the bathroom, then taking what she deemed necessary for the day._

_I needed to prepare to say goodbye to her body. It wouldn't be easy to force a change in the body, especially if it involved a dead body. But I hoped the dead bodies that Pete had mentioned were able. Or at least that the hospital morgue had some minimally decent body. I know Myka is worried that I'll just change the body and disappear forever._

_She'll suffer when I leave her body. Not as much as others suffer, but still suffer. I just hope Pete is a really good friend, not just those who will pretend that you are well, but those who will bother you trying to help discover wrong or when deemed necessary._

_Myka managed to arrive a few minutes after leaving the hotel, but still couldn't get rid of disturbing thoughts. Pete realized through Myka's facial expressions and his feeling that something was wrong, but he knew this wasn't the right time to bother Myka with questions that could only worsen the situation._

_So they both went in the hospital morgue, immediately I saw the bodies. I couldn't stop looking at Myka, who was watching the wounds present on the bodies. They didn't know what artifact it was, but by the injuries, they judged it to be an artifact of the type firearm. Both bodies had wounds similar to those dum-dum bullets, which the clash with aqueous or gelatinous material, cause craters. What was suspicious was the lack of entry or exit wounds._

_As they talked among themselves and with the doctor who had answered the two bodies, I glanced around me. There were several bodies, with all types of causes of death. I needed a recent dead, preferably causes the most natural possible, and they were the kind of person that someone would say 'still had a life ahead'. Myka looked around to see if I was still here. She knew I was going to change of host here._

_I saw a body that interested me. 26 years young athlete murdered in cold blood with a bullet through the heart. It would be easy to recover damages. Myka disguised her look, looking more around, as if she were investigating the possibility of some other body that had come into contact with the artifact somehow._

_The doctor said a few more sentences before leaving the room. Myka and Pete talked about what to do at the moment, if they should ask Claud to check the possibility of some artifact that could be consistent with the injury or would talk with Artie. I didn't pay attention to what they said. They finally decided to talk to Artie, since they didn't know what the possibilities were, and hoped that Artie has had some theory or any idea what could be the artifact._

_Answers, answers, answers. Agents looking for answers to mysteries that fit perfectly into 'anything is possible'. Our world is more mysterious than we imagine. As the artifacts. Just like me. I decided to switch of host now, but I had to wait for Myka look body by body to make sure that there was no other body with those symptoms._

_And it was the moment that I used._

Myka and Pete left the hospital. Myka didn't realize she was no longer host, and Pete didn't notice anything different about her, at least for now. Both entered the car, while Myka took the Farnsworth, calling Artie.

"Found something?" - Artie's face immediately appeared on the screen.

"No, but we noted that all the bodies had injuries from dum-dum bullets, but no entry or exit wounds. How is this possible?" - Myka said, looking worried. Artie immediately stopped what he was doing, staring at the screen.

"Are you sure?" - Myka nodded. Artie ran a hand through his hair, looking worriedly.

"Uh-Oh" - Artie said almost inaudibly.

"Artie? Is there something you know and aren't telling?" - Myka knew when he made that sound, he knew something. Artie sighed while Pete looked worried at Artie.

"I have a feeling that this isn't good." - Pete said.

"And it isn't." – Artie again murmured almost inaudibly.

"Artie?" - Myka hadn't heard what Artie had said, but knew something wasn't right.

"Look, the Nazis in World War II tried to create a weapon that could put a fatal bullet into enemies without having him in the field of vision, with entry and exit wounds. And this attempt resulted in an artifact that can kill, but not the way the Nazis wanted."

"But dum-dum bullets are prohibited in war." - Pete said.

"Yes, it was banned by the Hague Convention of 1899, but smuggling exists in any world. The Nazis didn't worry about bans or how many people would die in their experiments." - Myka was worried.

"And how is the artifact? A weapon similar to what Nazis used in War?"

"No one ever lived to tell. All engineers died victims of the artifact." - The expression of concern of Myka intensified as she ran her hand through her hair. Pete looked out, with worried eyes.

Arthur was the one who interrupted the call saying he needed to go. Myka looked out wondering how they would find this artifact. The crime scene offered no clues, as well as bodies.

They decided to investigate the scene where the bodies were found, hoping to find any clue that could lead them to a location of the artifact. The police had already processed the scene of the crime, only isolating the area from the public, with almost no movement of people around, as it was no longer the hot news of the moment. The police was also not helpful, due to the lack of proper communication.

The first scene couldn't offer as much information as they wish, only offered the information that the victim apparently died leaving a party without any account of fights. Interviews were made with a few attendants and bartender of the ballad, but nothing seemed suspicious. The second site has put in some more clues, such as the coincidence between the locations that the victims died, the first dying in the lane little used, and the second dying in an alley used by drug users. Not to mention that Pete had a feeling that something strange was in the region, though he couldn't say why or what.

It took two days of intensive investigations, and several attempts at communication between local police and agents so they could determine a possible location. But who was responsible for solving the mystery was Claud, who had managed to establish several common aspects of the two victims, until establish a common point that there was no reason not to be considered suspect. But Myka only needed one night to realize that she had been abandoned.

She didn't expect it to be a change almost imperceptible. She did know that the company would lose in dreams, and probably would again be immersed into nightmares, or even any dreamless nights. What Myka didn't expect was to be abandoned in fact, because she was hoping would get one or two days without news of that artifact alive.

But the night turned into days. And the days turned into weeks. And along with the change of days, Myka was also changing, both in mood and personality. Days and nights passed, each day Myka's mood getting worst, making clear that something had happened to her. Pete didn't have to make much effort to know that something had happened but didn't know how it happened.

Myka when she discovered, felt betrayed, forgotten, just as Helena had made her felt several times at different times, but in this case, the feeling was heartbreaking because she hadn't gotten any response. She ended up forgiving Helena partially, but never had the opportunity and the courage to talk about many issues that had been no agreement, clarification or consensus.

Pete didn't know what he could do to help Myka, he just felt bad to see her in such a painful situation. He didn't want to Myka destroying herself as Helena had done to herself. He wanted to help, but if Myka don't talked to him more than necessary, he felt like a blind man on a battlefield with multiple guns firing in all directions. He learned that help Myka at this time was venturing into a minefield.

Both were still able to do missions, but had no more dynamic that often helped them solve the various puzzles about the types of artifacts. Myka even didn't dare to place the same confidence in Pete.

Leena didn't need to do any effort to know Myka was suffering for any reason. She always had known that since the death of Helena, Myka had never been able to have a positive aura as before. She had given up trying to figure out what was going on Myka's mind; she just pretended that she knew nothing. Claud had seen the change of mood in one of the missions in which they had went together, and as she said, almost had her head torn off when asked to Myka tell her what had happened. Artie and Regents knew that if Myka continued that way, she would have to undergo several psychological evaluations. Something that they didn't wanted to happen.

Myka and Pete were on a mission in Seattle, where the absence of the old dynamic was felt deeply, when they couldn't get out of the loop of mystery in which the artifact was wrapped. It was late afternoon when they decided to return to the hotel and end the day. Myka went to her room without exchanging a word with Pete, who increasingly tried to bring together the courage to challenge Myka to tell what the hell had happened.

Myka's first reaction, after locking the door of the room was walk to bed, and punches a pillow. This had become a common habit since the discovery; it was a way to relieve the sensation for a few hours of betrayal stalking her mind. She knew would be clever punch a pillow or something soft than a wall. She also felt frustrated, feeling that had come to consume the soul of her often.

She should have believed from the beginning that she would be betrayed, used and forgotten, and that shouldn't have placed any confidence level in an artifact created by Helena. After hitting the pillow, she leaned against the wall beside the bed, slid down to sit on the floor, putting her face resting on her palms, sighing, and trying to calm the breath has somewhat accelerated.

She simply wanted to return to time and try to change the past, even though it wasn't possible from experience. She could try but would fail miserably every time, and this is even more frustrating.

She just wanted answers to her troubled soul, and she became extremely close to succeeding, but lost the opportunity. She shouldn't have believed from the beginning that she would be able to get any answer. She had lost all hope of deciphering the Helena she had seen in the last seconds of Helena's life, before being immersed in the destruction of the deposit. She couldn't get rid of the memories involving Helena.

She realized then which damage she get being host. But sometimes, after being so close to death several times, she just wanted the final death blow hit her in fact, just for peace of mind. And other times, she just wanted everything to be a nightmare that she would wake up in a bed, to find everyone alive and well at the table during breakfast.

A knock on the door interrupted her train of thought. Myka raised her head looking at the door, waiting for confirmation of her suspicions, which was confirmed a few seconds later. She got up going to open the door, but finding no one noticed a handwritten note, posted on the door. She picked it up before looking back down the hall looking for the person who can have left the note.

_**You were** _ _**within inches of** _ _**you came** _ _**here for.** _ _**Almost** _ _**accidentally touched** _ _**.** _ _**Use your** _ _**photographic memory** _ _**to solve** _ _**the puzzle.** _

Myka looked at the ticket, looking for any signature, but she found that there was no signature; she tried to recognize the letter, not getting any clue. She entered the room sitting on the bed, deciding to go through all the times that she had been almost accidentally in contact with an object. Only a few moments came to her mind, but after carefully checking each memory, she realized of which object the note spoke about.

She left the room, walking to the front door, which was Pete's room, giving light knock with her knuckles. Pete opened the door a few moments later, looking at her with a look almost worried.

"I think I know where the artifact."

"Just give me one minute to get the Tesla and Farnsworth." - Myka nodded seeing Pete disappearing into the room.

Myka didn't comment about how she got the answer of the infinite loop that had caught the two agents that day. In fact, Myka had hidden the fact of the note in the back of mind, knowing that she supposedly shouldn't have received such a note, but didn't care much about this.

And the note proved to be right in the end. Pete thought was strange that Myka have guessed the location, but he knew she wouldn't comment on how she guessed that location, giving up any possible conversation.

Time passed, new notes, often with riddles, have emerged at all times when Pete and Myka were again in an infinite loop, or they were without any information about the artifact they were hunting. In one of these missions, Myka had the feeling of being followed, but she had no evidence or sign that she was actually being. It had been nearly three months that she had been abandoned as the sole survivor of the only living artifact in the planet.

This feeling arose again in San Francisco when they were almost through the famous Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge was with slow traffic, but nothing that disturbed life so much, just a work of maintenance that was scheduled, and that routine common for those who were transiting there almost daily. Myka looked in the rearview mirror, realizing that there was a car following them. It was a car designed to not attract attention, but for someone who had a photographic memory, was something that drew attention. Pete hadn't realized, and Myka decided to wait for an opportune moment, which was a few hours later.

Pete and Myka were interviewing one of the allegedly spectators of the event involving the artifact when Myka viewed someone watching them. For some reason, the face looked familiar but she couldn't retrieve any information from the mind, and she began to get a feeling familiar with this face.

The interview lasted a few minutes, since the viewer could only give vague information, and often conflicting, which raised suspicion of Pete. Myka didn't focus much on the interview because she had noticed the familiar face again, this time behind a building. Pete was talking to her about the interview, but Myka's mind was trying to find a way to corral the face, but nothing seemed possible without a chase, paying no attention to what Pete was telling her.

They were walking down the avenue, when Myka saw the familiar face moving, which had been closest to Myka, who had to have a feeling that she really knew that face. More than that, she felt close to this face, which made her look back, just to see the face disappearing behind a marble column.

Myka couldn't say what made her just walk into the column, but she knew that every step taken, both sensations increased. The face when realized the approach of Myka, began to run away. Myka's reaction was immediate and impulsive, almost emotional, although there was still a mixed rationality. People started to seem simple blur in the eyes of Myka, whose attention was now totally in the face. Myka instinctively pick up the gun, but wasn't pointing it at anyone, just had the gun out by habit. Pete had lasted a few brief moments before realizing what was happening.

For those who watched the scene, it seemed to be a police chase, but for those real observers, seemed like a lion hunting days ago, as if the hungry lead him. Myka knew that was the feeling of closeness that was guiding her, although she felt the rationality still working. Needless to say that the face has adopted various tactics to disturb or make Myka give up, like dropping litter bins, sudden changes in direction, among others. At times, Myka seemed to have been fallen, but each of these moments, she recovered, showing agility. Pete was running a few meters behind, shouting in vain Myka's name, while trying to warn people to open a path.

Pete didn't know what Myka was doing, but he knew that if Myka was doing it, was because something was wrong. Myka using the rationality still existing in her mind, taken by her emotions, despite the overload of adrenaline pumping through the veins, was able to take a shortcut, taking the face in surprise. People would be able to say they didn't know what happened when the two bodies crashed, but they certainly would say that the scene was fast enough to seem like a blur. Myka managed to take down the face, strangling him, while her gun was pointed at him.

"Who are you?"

"An old friend..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION: This chapter contains a scene slightly rated M (maybe fast but slightly description of rape)

"I'll ask one last time. Who are you?"

The tone of voice used by Myka would have left anyone with the impression she was a psychopath, but she was a mere agent of the U.S. government. Myka's facial expression was also serious, although she was panting a bit due to race. A loud laugh of the face became audible.

"You really don't recognize me? Don't you feel your mind screaming the need for proximity?" - A smile, perhaps ironic, perhaps sarcastically, was stamped on his face, as if defying Myka.

Myka's hand on his neck eased slightly when for a moment Myka thought she recognized him, but in fact recognized only when she given attention to her mind, then the penny has dropped about who he was. She had no time to process information, as Pete appeared, stopping a few feet behind Myka, panting, barely able to breathe and talk, feeling as if he had run a marathon.

Myka get off him, keeping the gun, and then rising, offering a hand to the 'old friend' who readily accepted rising. Pete still couldn't say anything, but had been watching the scene with an expression almost worried. Pete realized that the face didn't seem familiar, though he looked somewhat common, he could be as confusingly native of any country. Just had brown hair, brown eyes, but certainly something called attention: his posture. It was almost extremely formal, and empty of feelings.

"I'm sorry" - Myka said, not looking at him.

"You don't have any reason to be apologizing. Who has is me."

Pete watched the scene stunned, not knowing what to do or say.

"Er... Excuse me, but who are you?" - Pete finally said something after a few moments of awkward silence.

Myka looked at him, thinking how she should present him, not knowing how she should call him.

"I'm Rick, a friend of Myka." - He offered his hand to Pete, glancing to Myka.

"What a way to welcome friends, huh Mykes?" - Pete greeted as Myka shrugged, looking away.

"Myka, can we talk in private later? We have some issues to catch up on." - Myka looked at him, nodding.

Pete commented that they only needed to do some interviews and then they could end the day, also commenting that he had the feeling that they couldn't get so much information as they needed. Pete invited Rick to accompany them, which was promptly accepted.

Myka, in fact, couldn't concentrate on the rest of the day, she was trying to control herself to not lose control of emotions that insisted on invading her mind, with proximity to Rick, and with the small flame of hope. Gradually, she brought together a few pieces, understanding that was he who had sent the note, but didn't understand how he would know the locations of the artifacts, and thought she might have understood why he had gone that long. But what mattered was that he had returned.

She was, perhaps wary of the conversation she had with Rick. She didn't know why he asked for, expecting him to explain himself and apologize. She may obtain a response that she craved. She couldn't stop thinking about Helena at least once a day. She needed answers. And soon.

The hours passed slowly, proving to be a terrible torture to Myka, who couldn't bear to watch the hour, hoping that it had passed more quickly. Finally, an opportunity appeared. It was early evening when Pete decided to end the day, and go to the hotel, as well as Rick and Myka. Rick went straight to Myka's room, knowing that she was anxious to have this conversation.

"Why?" - It was the first thing said by Myka when she closed the door behind her. The voice was almost angry, but calm.

"Because if I came back soon after the change of host, you would have succumbed to madness. Like almost happened today, when you chased me."

"I didn't..." - Myka was interrupted, though she knew it would happen.

"Certainly yes. Don't try to deceive yourself. You had this overwhelming feeling of closeness, that you're feeling right now being in the same room with me. This feeling would be strongest at that time, not to mention that your mind still needed to recover. If I had returned soon after, you would certainly be in a mental hospital right now. But I came back, no?" - He turned at her giving a smile, which again, seemed to be between ironic and comforting.

"And why the notes?"

"Because I knew that you in your pseudo self-destruction, believing you was betrayed and forgotten, would have serious consequences if you stopped of feeling a good agent of the U.S. government, making an excellent and the most perfect as possible service, stocking all the possible artifacts in the Warehouse. And also, it was a way I could keep a close eye on you." - He began to notice the room furniture, gently moving his fingers, feeling the textures. Myka watched him, but diverted her gaze, passing an unconcerned hand through her hair, sighing heavily.

"How will you answer all the questions I have?" - A smile appeared at the corners of his lips, which had not gone unnoticed by Myka.

"Memories." - Confusion passed by Myka eyes, making him explain.

"I still own all the memories of Helena, as you well know. Or at least, should remember that detail. And I can take you as a visitor in these memories, obeying faithfully since the only rule, which by the way is very simple." - Rick turned his gaze to the night view of San Francisco, with lights illuminating the city.

"That would be...?"

"You can't modify the physical details of the scenes, neither touch people. You can talk but can't enter a room whose door is closed." - Myka looked at him with a thoughtful expression.

"That seems simple to follow." - Rick nodded.

"The memories I'll show you aren't supposed to be joyful." - Myka turned abruptly to face him, looking at him, not knowing what to feel or speak, - "Not everything in Helena's life were wonderful. Like any Victorian lady, she suffered some unfortunate moments and... perhaps the best word would to be wretched. And each had profound impacts on Helena's life" - Myka didn't know exactly what she felt, might have felt sorrow, making her look away.

"Myka, I'm sorry if I gave the impression of having betrayed you. I should have explained how it would be, as I should have said that you would be alone for awhile."

"This wasn't exactly the moment of my life. I thought I had lost any chance to meet Helena, just as you knew. I felt used, like I was just a disposable object, as Helena made me feel in some moments." - A tear threatened to roll Myka's face, she didn't care. The voice had also been showing signs of sadness in every word spoken. Rick was just looking at her, giving time to her continue.

"I couldn't talk to Pete about it, he would probably think that I really had gone crazy trying to decipher Helena. He never forgave Helena, and well, I might not have forgiven everything that Helena has done, but I'm still trying to understand what makes a human to gets to that point... And... he would have realized that it wasn't just that..." - The sad voice of Myka was slowly breaking, while Myka looked away, trying to control her tears.

"Myka ... Don't worry. Your secret will stay with me. But one day, you'll need to talk to someone about it. After all... I'm an artifact, not a human."

Myka knew she had to talk to someone about it, but for now hoped that Rick could serve to this purpose. She wasn't prepared to talk about it, and perhaps never would be, but at least wanted to have this conversation knowing that to understand a little about Helena. She knew Artie could be angry, but Claud would, perhaps, simply to understand. But Artie would be surprised and perhaps shocked, with the revelation that Rick was an artifact in practice.

"Myka, you know very well that Artie would be furious and perhaps worried, with my nature." - Myka looked at him surprised, - "Yes, I can still hear your mind. But don't worry, it'll disappear in a few days. And I don't think it's the best idea to reveal myself to others."

"Why?"

"Starting with the fact that I'm an alive artifact and created as the madness of Helena? Artie won't be happy with that. And Pete... We say that he already had an encounter with one of my clones."

"A encounter? One artifact that nearly killed one of the Regents and Pete was one of your clones?"- Myka seemed to be shocked, as if everything he was talking about was a lot of information to process.

"If you allow the correction, the artifact only become an artifact, because it was in too much contact with my hand. At that time I hadn't full control over my abilities. I was still learning, so I believe fully that the artifact was created as a result of an attempt to learn more about my skills."

"And how do you know the location and what are the artifacts that we seek?"

"As one of them, I can feel them, especially if I'm in the same region. It's almost like a map with bright spots in mind. Some dots are artifacts, others are minds. The artifacts always behave differently, and after decades of experience, I learned to differentiate."

Myka sat in the chair, which allowed to watch Rick, considering several issues simultaneously.

"Myka, don't think so aloud." - A ironic smile appeared on his face, making Myka realize that this was one of the unique features of him.

"You would be useful as an agent of the deposit." - He leaned against the furniture, putting his hands resting on furniture. He was almost face to face with Myka.

"Only with one condition." - Myka looked at him, arching an eyebrow slightly.

"I only will, if none of your colleagues and Regents has any objection. And that includes the knowledge of my true nature." - Myka sighed, looking away to the ground.

"And why is that?"

"They will be aware of what can happen. I don't guarantee that I'll not change of host." - Rick walked to the door, stopping his hand on the doorknob, - "And sleep, you need, and it's late."

"Where are you going?"

"To walk around until you wake up. I'm not human, do not have the same needs you."

Rick left the room before Myka could say anything. Myka was looking where Rick had been the moment before, thinking of everything he spoke. She felt a little relieved that she hadn't been abandoned. She knew she couldn't sleep so fast, but knew she needed to try to sleep.

She changed clothes quickly, going to settle under the covers, staring at the ceiling as he thought of all that had happened in recent months, leaving memories invade her mind freely.

She had hoped to get to know Helena as Rick knew, even though she had caused some trust issues after several moments. But she hoped at least figure out who was H.G. Wells who had written all those books, even using the figure of the brother to get published, and wanted to understand what had been the loss of Christina.

Helena had told of her death, but never told how she dealt with the loss, or even how a Victorian lady was a single mother in her time. These were some of the things of Helena that had always done Myka wanting to understand more about. Another aspect was the childhood of Helena, something she had never heard about.

Before she realized Myka was already asleep, being overcome with fatigue and lack of a good night's sleep, for months she hadn't slept well, usually waking up after a few hours.

Rick had been walking through the hotel until find the room games 24h, losing hours and money, waiting for the dawn, and the two agents awake. He had spoken seriously about revealing himself to the rest, if Myka really wanted him as an agent of the warehouse; the only concern for her was fulfilling his condition.

He knew why Myka wanted him in the warehouse. He knew it would be only one way to Myka ensure that he won't vanish from the map again, as it was to facilitate life a little.

Pete had been a few hours reading comics, to stop, too, overcome by sleep and fatigue. He knew that Myka talked with Rick, which meant she wouldn't talk about it with him. He tried to hear the conversation, but unfortunately the walls didn't allow curious, though he had a feeling that something wasn't good, but ignored it, knowing that sooner or later would find out what it was.

Myka was the first to wake with the sound of her Farnsworth echoing in the room. When she awake, she automatically checked the clock realizing that she had slept more than she had slept in days. She got up, answering the call, hearing Claud's voice, as she rubbed her fingers through her eyes, trying to look a little more awake.

"Good morning Myka. Apparently I woke you, no?"- Claud said realizing Myka's gesture, and feeling a bit bad for having waked her. Myka sat in the closer chair.

"Yes, but no problems. Found something?"

"Not exactly, the artifact stopped manifesting. My suspicion is that this is related with weather."- Only with Claud's comment, Myka realized was raining, hearing the characteristic sound of drops falling with some violence against the window glass.

"But it shouldn't be the opposite? Rains usually tend to go crazy artifacts." -, Claud shrugged, –"Thank you Claud. I must go, if you find something, call me."

"Save the world, hero!" - Myka laughed while hung up the Farnsworth. It was possible to notice a considerable improvement in Myka's mood.

Myka stood up again, throwing the Farnsworth in bed, going to change clothes almost automatically. In a few minutes, she was knocking on Pete's door, believing that perhaps he was still sleeping, what it was common. But to her surprise, he soon was opening the door, while Rick also appeared in the hallway, going to meet with the two agents.  
"I think I know where the artifact." - Rick said it when he reached a considerable distance so that only they could hear.

"But... how do you know? No witness had useful information." - Pete asked puzzled.

"Pete, he is the author of the notes" - Rick looked at Myka, but no expression was visible in his face.

Myka had told Pete about the notes when he inquired about how Myka could solve the mysteries of the artifacts. Pete was almost grateful to have someone still able to solve the mysteries without much effort.

"The artifact appears to be related to weather, and what would be the most likely place to have such an artifact?"

"Everywhere involved with climate's study." - Pete said, looking at Rick, who nodded and gave a signal for him to continue.

"But it makes no sense."

"Pete, we work in the most impossible of the planet." - Myka said looking at him.

"It's almost Wonderland. Or something close." - Rick said getting a look of Myka.

"Well, no harm in trying, right? The faster we complete the mission, soon be home."

The hypothesis of Rick has proved correct once again and as usual, ending the mission. Myka didn't know whether to feel happy to be going home with Rick, or should feel anxious and worried because of the condition of Rick, and also due to Helena's memory, which would soon be known. Pete still had the same feeling the day before; believing then that it would have something to do with Rick.

Myka was in her room, unpacking her bag, and organizing her things when she heard some knocks on her door, and then the door opening, turning to see who was. Rick entered the room, closing the door carefully.

"Decided?" - Myka looked at him as she closed her closed.

She knew he would ask that, although she expected to not to ask. She had already made the decision. She knew that while the revelation seemed something to fear, it could be something that would bring good changes to the warehouse, such as changes in the systems of surveillance of artifacts installed worldwide, after all, if Rick was possible to be created, no guarantees that no other artifact like him wouldn't be created.

She knew the hard part would be 'no objection'. She knew that Artie wouldn't accept it well. Regents perhaps would be another situation; maybe they would be curious about the character of Rick. But perhaps the biggest problem would be the Regents; after all, a living artifact is potentially more dangerous than a simple artifact-object.

"Yes." - Rick looked at her, while nodding, - "When you pretend to show me the memories of Helena?" - Rick kept looking at her, with no expression, no longer something that bothered more Myka.

"I have thought to show little by little. But we can start today if you want." - Myka looked at him thoughtfully, while gently biting her lower lip.

Rick watched Myka as thoughts flooded her mind, she was thinking if she was really ready to start today, or if she should just ask for a few days, but knowing she would not be able to prepare since she didn't know what it was the memory.

"We can start today." - Rick smiled, settling in a armchair.

"You may prefer to settle. The journey may be long. "- Myka looked at him with a questioning face, but chose not to question, going to sit on the bed, leaning up against the wall.

"Don't worry; I learned how to show you memories without use your body. What will be the first stop?" - Rick was with his hands folded, placed on his lap, and with his legs crossed, waiting for some period that Myka had interest, and then separate the memory and enter it.

Myka shifted her gaze to the floor, wondering where to start. She had so many questions, so many things to discover that didn't know where to start.

"Hm ... How Helena had Christina?"- Myka said almost without realizing that she had decided.  
Rick looked as if questioned, but no emotion was shown.

"Are you absolutely sure?" - Myka nodded, not knowing whether she should have said 'no', or should have asked why the question. She found herself in another environment in the blink of an eye, being frightened.

"Welcome to London of 1891." - Rick's voice was present behind Myka, who had turned suddenly frightened.

"Sorry to scare you, I certainly should have told it would be something like that."

Myka looked at him for a few moments before looking around, realizing that it was night, and there was little light, but she certainly was able to recognize a female figure walking down the alley where she was. She looked questioning Rick.

"Yes, this is Helena."

Myka looked back at Helena, who was rushed, probably wanting to get her home as quickly as possible or she was late for a meeting. She was wearing a dress, which she had grabbed a handful of fabric and lifting, to avoid the bar being dragged across the floor. But Myka soon realized another silhouette walking, a few feet behind, almost completely hidden by the darkness, but the steps were audible over long distances.

Soon the silhouette was revealed in one of the few rays of moonlight night, but not enough to observe all the details of the face. But Myka realized Helena trying to increase the speed of her steps, but couldn't due to tissue volume of the dress she wore, with the sound of her heels echoing down the alley along with the noise of man's footstep.

Myka felt the impulse to help, but remembered the only condition of Rick, who stayed impassively in place, as a mere statue. Myka realized that the man was in more advantage than Helena because he doesn't have such limitation caused by clothing. Within moments, the man reached Helena, throwing her against the wall. The sound of Helen's body crashing into the wall was loud, making Myka take a few steps forward, wanting to see if she was okay, although she knew not.

"What a lovely lady walking down the street is doing at this time?" - The man said as he pressed his forearm against Helena's throat, immobilizing her. Myka could see that Helena tried to say something but couldn't due to pressure on her throat.

Myka watched the scene almost horrified, and perhaps shocked. She never would have thought that Helena had gone through it. She looked at Rick, who was still in the same position, watching the scene as much as Myka. Returning to look at the scene, she realized that Helena was on the verge of losing consciousness, but the man seemed to have the ability to not let her lose consciousness, leaving Helena confused and disoriented.

Helena had given up on any action against the man, trying to hold back the tears that challenged her will. Myka realized then that the man was drunk, but still couldn't do anything, just be watching the scene, in pure shock and horror.

The man walked his hand by Helena's breasts, over the fabric, Myka could hear him saying things but she hadn't been able to understand, but could imagine what would. And then, the man's free hand began to lift the skirt of the dress of Helena, who was already crying, realizing that she had already lost the fight, and that nobody would be able to help her.

Helena just let it go, unable to make any move, unable to make any decision. It didn't take long for her to feel him penetrating her, forcing her to make a grimace of pain. She just stood there, feeling hopeless, in pain, and incapable, and feeling each thrust the man gave. She just hoped it would soon pass. The look of Myka was of pain, as well as her hand that accompanied her facial expression revealed her horror.

Helena could feel him breathing accelerated, indicating that it would end soon. And soon she could hear him groan with pleasure, feeling him walk away from her, who was leaning against the wall, trying to breathe normally. She had tears rolled freely down her cheeks. Myka looked at Rick and then at Helena, realizing that she had shed some tears, wiping it with the back of one of her hand.

"She found out two months later she was pregnant. At first, her family didn't know, but her symptoms betrayed her. She was deserted of the family, temporarily. She decided to keep Christina not to remember that night, but to try to change the world."- Rick said seeing the expression on Myka's face, watching Helena walk away.

"Why she was deserted of the family?"

"They thought that Helena had committed adultery. But when they found the original story, they came to consider her into the family again, although they had come to consider her the black sheep of the family. The only one who knew it from the beginning was her brother. He was the first person to see Helena in this state. They always had a very strong bond. Also because of this event was that she started to engage in learning self-defense and to defend furiously the direct of women. And because of this event was that her brother began to be persecuted by society because he also went on to defend women's rights." - Myka remembered the newspaper that she had read commenting about H.G. Wells being supportive of the feminist movement.

Again, she found herself in another environment in a blink of eye, but this time not frightened, since she recognized her room.

"She never said that out of the family, you should probably be the first person in history who is aware of this fact." - Myka looked away, not knowing what to say.

"It was only because of Christina, Helena became more responsible." - Myka looked at him surprised.

"I always imagined her being responsible as a child." - Rick smiled.

"No. When she was a child and teenager, she was somewhat... innovative." - Myka smiled lightly, trying to imagine a child Helena challenging some principle of society.

"Would you like to see something of her childhood?" - Myka nodded, not caring to see something bad or not.

This time, Myka had expected that when she blinked and opened her eyes again, she would be in another landscape. This time it was a rural landscape, with some farms in the distance, and the ground was almost flat, almost curved, marked by the presence of grasses, although some forests make their presence, but in the distance.

Myka saw the figure of two children, maybe teenagers running toward him. She soon realized that one was Helena, easily recognizable, realizing that Helena hadn't changed much since childhood. The other child was a girl, more or less the same age. Both were laughing.

She could also see that Helena had her hair loose, unlike the girl whose was in a ponytail, but the detail that drew the most attention was the clothing of Helena. She expected both girls to be using dress, but then noticed that only the girl was wearing dress. As Helena approached, Myka noticed she was wearing pants and shirt, smiling at the scene.

"Helena was always supposed to wear a dress since childhood. But she preferred pants and shirts, she thought it was more comfortable and less demanding, since they don't have to worry about the tissue. And she has always been what we call today a tomboy, although she could hide it extremely well on several occasions. "

"And the girl?"

"First love of Helena." - Myka looked surprised the scene.

"How old was she?" - Myka asked looking at Rick.

"13 years. Her family didn't know it for awhile, until the girl's father appears in the house of Helena making threats. This caused some small problems, but the family just pretended they didn't know and didn't see. Of course this behavior caused Helena to be the gossip within various social circles of high society." - Myka looked back at the scene, almost smiling.

Myka was able to say that Helena seemed really happy, enjoying every moment she could. She was happy that Helena had a good time in childhood.

"Her brother always had an open mind, since they were children. He was the one who would defend her honor before their father, and society."

"I imagine that her brother has been an important role in the life of Helena."

"Yes, and more important, he was almost a person's model to Helena. He also suffered some problems with the society by supporting some ideals that were contrary to what society preached. But over the years, he learned to deal with every type of person, even enjoying the borrowed fame with women, while Helena would always be those who would try to convince people about some of her ideas, though she tried to change this attitude in the last years of her life." - Myka laughed, because she knew this was one of the few unique features of Helena.

At that moment, she startled with the sudden change of scenery, back in her room.

"How Helena overcame the death of Christina?" - Rick looked at her before answering.

"I think she never got over, but she went through the famous five stages."

Myka hoped that Helena had at least tried to overcome in a much less revengeful. She knew Helena would be obsessed with getting justice, but didn't know how long it had taken.

The landscape this time was to a house, perhaps the home of Helena. Myka and Rick were in a hallway near a door, slightly open. Myka noticed that Helen was in the room, flirting with a woman.

"At first, Helen was a pseudo nymphomaniac flirting with almost all women and having casual sex with almost all." - Myka still looking at the scene that unfolded in the room.

"Why?"

"A very simple reason: when Christina was alive, Helena had renounced sex and any action that would impair her responsibility. Christina was the personification of the responsibility of Helena."

"And since Helena loses it, she tries to catch up, as if Christina had not existed?" - Myka looks at Rick, who nodded before replying.

"It was a way of denying her death. But between this path and obsession for justice, I believe this was the least bad way. But each path would bring its consequences. Helena just had to live with every consequence that she chose to have." - Myka looked confused.

Myka knew Helena had been bronzed because of her obsession with a better world, preferably with Christina. But she didn't know that this obsession was so severe.

"She tried to create a machine that was able to change the past. She just got a time machine, which can't change the past. And then she tried to join the pieces of the Trident Minoan using the allegation of protecting the world. But she couldn't because she had not had access to Warehouse 2, and this is how one piece was buried with Christina. And then she tried to create life from death." - The last sentence of Rick drew Myka's attention, she had left the memory of her meeting with Helena and Trident Minoan invade her mind, feeling again what she had felt on occasion, remembering every word she had said, and realizing that she had seen Helena vulnerable, she just didn't gave attention to this fact. And now it was too late for anything.

"She tried to get her daughter to be a Frankenstein?"

"Better than that. She tried to betray death. It was this act that made her to be confined in Bronze Section. And at this point, I was already there. Helena created me during her hunt of Minoan Trident, which was when she lost all control over who she was and her feelings. And you only had a fraction of that experience when you had the meeting with her, threatening to destroy the world."

Myka looked back at the scene, almost incredulously. She didn't know that Helena would try to go that far. Now she understood why the Regents considered her as a threat to the warehouse and the world. If any of her invention had succeeded, it would have destroyed the world rather than make it better, not to mention that Rick only accelerated this process by not having control of their abilities.

In a blink, she found herself in the room again, seeing Rick stood up of the armchair.

"For now it is enough, right? You had a long day and need rest." - Myka nodded, watching Rick leave the room, closing the door carefully.

Myka lay almost brusquely, thinking of the three memories of Helena and their impact.

Certainly, Helena had changed much since childhood. Maybe her family hadn't fully proud of her, but they certainly did the best they could and felt willing to do. Perhaps only her brother was the one who sacrificed aspects because of Helena.

She didn't realize that she was tired enough to sleep until waking up the next day, lying still in the clothes of the previous day. She remembered the memories of Helena, as she stood going into the bathroom to take a bath, realizing that it was early in the morning.

Going down to take breakfast after some moments, she heard the voice of Claud talking to Pete. Soon she heard the voice of Artie. Myka decided to see what was happening, since there were rare occasions which they discussed without the presence of Myka.

"Good morning Myka. I think we need to have a conversation." - Artie was the first to greet, getting a nod of Myka.

They were in the living room, and soon Rick was too. Claud and Pete decided to sit on the couch, while Rick, Myka and Artie remained standing.

"What I'm going to say probably won't be the best thing to say, but Rick is an artifact alive..."

"This isn't possible!" - The angry voice of Artie interrupted Myka as he gestured with his hands as he always did when he was in a situation of this kind.

"Artie, let her finish." - Claud said, looking at him.

"Created by Helena." - Claud looked at Rick surprise, - "He's the madness of Helena."

"How is this possible? I always thought that artifacts were only possible to be created if the person left a part of the personality into an object." - Claud said still looking at Rick.

"And yes. But for some reason, Helena created me as a living thing. I came up from the mixture of the pain of losing a loved one, the obsession with justice, among other factors. I'm the representation of madness that Helena eventually suffered after the death of Christina. Unfortunately, Helena only saw me days prior to sacrifice." - Rick said, calling everyone's attention.

"And how you lived during those centuries?" - Pete asked, not knowing what to expect in response.

"Killing people. All my hosts die. I can't fully control the damage in the mind of my host, but I can prevent serious damage. It took decades to get myself under control, after all, I was created unexpectedly, and I had to learn to control myself alone, because my creator had been confined in the Bronze Section, and I was forced out of her body. Of course, the World Wars eventually helped disguise my trail of death, but now I know how to use much better a host than before."

"Wait, you said World Wars?" - Pete asked, receiving a nod in reply, - "So, we already have met, no?" - Pete made a motion with his hand indicating him and Rick.

"You can say that. But technically you met a small clone of mine, the result of my attempts at self-control."

"So this is why I have this feeling close to you!" - Pete said almost relieved to understand why he had this feeling. He usually never cared about the misgivings of him, since he always knew what it meant. But this time it was the only one exception, which left him worried.

"This is the first time I use a dead host and keeping all my skills. The last time I tried, I killed the host. But that was several decades ago. Myka was also the only host who survived to my injury, although she has some minor damage."

"Myka was your host?" - Claud asked looking surprised. Artie just resigned to look Myka with a worried look.

"I have a survival instinct, which made me change of host on the day the warehouse was blown, and the person nearest to Helena at the time was Myka. It was this instinct that forced me to leave the body of Helena, moments before she was bronzed." - Claud looked thoughtful as she listened attentively to every word spoken by Rick. Pete and Artie just listened.

Claud, Pete and Myka were the ones who said nothing.

"You would be useful for the warehouse."- Claud said, rising from the couch, leaving Artie surprised.

"No, no and no! He killed thousands of people! Why would he be useful?"- Artie didn't know how he should feel.

"Artie, this is the first time we heard of a living artifact. Surely we can learn something." - Claud said, looking at him, as she pointed to Rick.

Myka watched the scene worried. She knew if Artie declared against the entrance of Rick as agent, they would lose any chance. Myka heard Artie muttering something.

"Rick, I'll inform the Regents today, but if I know them well, they won't have any objection. So, I think you may already be considered as an agent. And Artie, give a chance." - Claud said leaving the room, taking the Farnsworth, leaving three people perplexed. Soon she was back with a smile on her face.

"Rick is a temporary agent of the Warehouse. The Regents believe that would be interesting what we can learn from living with a living artifact. So Artie, just take a chance, it's only temporary, and it can bring positive changes to the system as well as other things."

An alarm rang through the room, making Claud pick up the phone to verify what the alarm was.

"We have an event in inner California. For now, nothing to worry about." - Claud said quickly realizing the look of Artie.

Everyone except Rick had breakfast, while Pete and Claud asked about some aspects of the nature of Rick, in an attempt to understand. Rick commented about some aspects of his experience, like his change of hosts, the World Wars, among others.

Claud was who was more interested in knowing more about the life of Helena, when Rick mentioned that he had all the memories of Helena. Myka didn't bother with this, since she knew that Rick wouldn't tell some aspects of Helena's life. Pete was more interested in understanding more about his abilities. Rick answered every question without bothering or without showing any emotion as Myka just listened intently.

Shortly after, they were all gathered in the warehouse when a new alarm rang. This time, an alarm that everyone knew. Claud had built an alarm system according to each situation. Some alarms were more frequent and so many others not. This was one of them: the alarm of death by artifact.

Claud sat in front of her computer, checking out what caused the alarm, while Pete and Myka looked worried. Rick stood behind them, watching the scene.

"That event within California has spread to four cities, still inner of California, but has caused the deaths of five people." - Claud said as her fingers danced across the keyboard, looking for details.

"What is this artifact?"

"That's the million dollar question. The system accuses that the event is an artifact, but don't know which artifact."

Artie soon appeared behind them, listening to all that Claud had said.

"And it in just two hours?" - Artie asked scaring everyone. Claud nodded.

Artie looked worried the screen displaying the red dots indicating the locations of the event artifact. None of this made sense to Artie, the system should know which artifact was, as it was impossible for an event artifact spread so quickly.

For the next hour, everyone immersed into an endless search trying to relate the event with any relate that was in the books or even some artifact. No success so far.

Soon, another alarm went off, making Claud make a face of concern while everyone else stared at her, since this alarm was never rang and they never knew the meaning.

"Claud? What alarm is this?" - The tone was deep concern in Myka's voice.

"Epidemic." - Myka looked deeply concerned, watching Claud get up and running to the computer.

They could hear Claud muttering things, and by her tone, they knew it was serious.

"Los Angeles and San Diego are already being affected by the event. California is in state of emergency, and Texas has set off alarms of this event happening. At this rate, entire U.S. will be suffering from this event within 48 hours." - Everyone looked at Claud, not knowing what to do.

"What is the number of deaths?" - Pete asked dreading the answer.

"Officially, 563, and rising."

Panic gripped the facial expressions of all agents except Rick, who remained impassive at the same place, looking at everyone.

"Could this be an artifact created recently and had never been cataloged?" - Myka said, although she suspected what was the answer she would receive.

"No. The system would have established a pattern. But this artifact has no default, which is confusing the system." - A cell phone started vibrating incessantly in Claud's pocket.

Claud took the phone, seeing the ID, and left the room, going to take refuge in an adjacent room. Myka could say that a conversation, perhaps serious and perhaps frightening because of Claud's tone, was happening.

"The government is accusing the deposit to be responsible for it." - Claud said when she left the room.

"But we don't even know what is causing it!" - Myka said.

"That's what I told them. And CNN is already making news about it." - Claud sat back down at the computer, her fingers dancing across the keys.

Soon, the screen was occupied by the channel from CNN, but the map was still tracking the events in background. Rick decided to sit at the closest table, losing contact with the screen, but still being able to clearly hear any statement that would be given by the journalist.

"The number of deaths in California has already crossed the mark of 700. Texas has just declared 100 deaths, and the big cities, as New York, have already declared death, although don't said the number. The estimate of the number of deaths is 1570, and continues to grow at an alarming rate, causing panic in the population. The U.S. government hasn't yet gave a declaration about it. Soon more information." - The journalist said staring at the screen, probably being in Washington, with the expression as she was waiting for more information.

Everyone listened intently, even without knowing what they should do. The first reaction was of Artie.

"It's quite a coincidence that event have started the same day you got to be the agent! This is your fault. Once a killer, always a killer!" - Artie had turned to Rick, accusing him with a very angry voice almost bordering the decontrol, -" This is your entire fault! "- Rick got up without any facial expression, but he took a few steps, coming to face Artie who accusing him with his forefinger.


	6. Chapter 6

Rick had been looking for a few moments at Artie, increasing the tension present in the environment before defend himself

"I guarantee that I'm not causing it. If I gave any little freedom for my killer instinct, you all would have been the first to die. The last person who I killed was before Helena being debronzed. Myka would be dead if I hadn't taken measures to prevent it. Would you have liked to lose Myka, your favorite agent? No? That's what I thought." - He said calmly, staring at Artie.

"It wouldn't make sense him causing these events and not kill us. It would be much easier for him to kill us all and release all these artifacts to the world if he really wanted chaos." - Myka said.

"They have a point." - Claud said quietly, but loud enough for everybody to hear.

"And this rate of death is something that intrigues me, because I'm not able to cause something. How would I be able to kill and cause all these events if I was in your presence most of the day? I assure you that I'm not capable of it. I've given enough reasons or you need more to not consider me as the villain of the story?" - Rick said, paying little attention to the comment of Claud. The other agents watched the scene static, not knowing how they could intervene.

"You almost killed Pete." - Artie said through gritted teeth.

"In practice, almost killing is different from killing, isn't it?" - Sarcasm could be felt in the words of Rick – "Technically, the fault isn't entirely mine. Pete shouldn't have played the telegraph, as well as I should have recovered the missing part. At least you're able to handle a small clone."

"Before this fight of children continues, we must focus on the event we have in our hands and try to stop it before the government interferes." - Myka interrupts any speech that Artie was starting.

"We have a period of 24 hours before the government intervenes. And if that period is over, and nothing has changed, we'll suffer serious consequences."- Claud finished Myka's sentence.

Everyone looked at each other waiting for any reaction.

"What we know about this event?" - Myka said, breaking the silence almost strange, but certainly tense.

"The event started in California, spreading across the state in less than five hours. Texas began to show it two hours after the first event in California. The main cities of the country began to show this event four hours after the start. And that was the moment that the event lost the organization, spreading in all directions." - Claud said as Myka looked at her thoughtfully.

"And which state was the last state to be affected?" - Pete asked, seeing Claud turn to the computer, and search.

"South Dakota" - Claud said in a voice almost taken for concern and panic.

"The events began to form a pattern." - Rick said, getting up and watching the screen carefully while he approached, pointing to the map that was tracking all events.

"The focus is South Dakota. The events are spinning like a tornado rotates around the axis." - Rick said, pointing movements.

"This is not good." - Pete and Claud commented at the same time.

Artie divided the group into tasks, leaving Claud responsible for tracking events as well as the search for more information. Myka and Rick were responsible for research in certain subjects while Pete and Artie seek certain other matters. Claud upgraded from time to time all members about the number of death and the progression of events, which only contributed to the state of stress, anxiety, despair and panic.

They didn't know how the government would interfere, but the way that Claud had said it wouldn't be good thing, and it would only make matters worse, not to mention that the warehouse would be closed and its members would be redirected to areas that could take advantage of them. They all knew that there would be no possibility of keeping these hidden artifacts in the world, since they all come back to get lost in the world, worsening the already established status of chaos in the U.S., and perhaps spreading to the rest of this world. They were living in a critical situation. They were feeling like living during the Cold War, although this time, there was some enemy who was actually attacking innocent and maybe not so innocent.

"Rick, you can create artifacts, no?" - Myka said, breaking the silence that had lingered in the room for a few hours. Rick interrupted reading looking at Myka.

"Yes. But they wouldn't be able to cause this. Most of them are in objects. "- Rick said starting again to read, while Myka looked at him thoughtfully. Something didn't fit in this story.

Some piece of the puzzle was missing. And Myka couldn't identify which piece was. She knew this piece would be the part that would move everything, as if it were the essential part for a machine to work. Once she discovered what it was, this whole situation would be resolved. Her mind was going over every detail since she met Rick, trying to find something. Each time, just left her frustrated.

It was an obsession with looking for answers that made Myka's mind says that something was wrong, as if the puzzle pieces don't bond in any way, as if they were a heterogeneous chemical mixture. She hoped that once the centerpiece discovered she could make all the pieces connect.

"Is there a clone living like you?" - Rick looked back at Myka.

"Yes. But none could do it alone, much less have all my skills." - Myka sighed in frustration. She just needed to find this piece of the puzzle. Silence again took the room, as well as by the sound of book pages being turned in moments of moments.

"Guys, you need to see it." - Claud's head appeared at the door, startling Myka. Rick stood up, cordially offering a hand to Myka, who accepted.

Pete and Artie were already in front of the computer, watching anything that was. Claud returned to resume her place as Myka and Rick approached.

"The U.S. government has just released the information that the U.S. is at war. The question many ask is 'against whom? '. Nobody assumed the responsibility of the deaths. Rumor has it that this is a biological weapon. The actual number of deaths is estimated at around 3500. More information soon." - The journalist said with more deadpan expression as possible, although it was almost possible to see that she was on the verge of panic, as any individual who lived in the U.S..

"What the hell is the government is thinking about declaring war?" - Pete said almost without thinking.

"It may just be a strategy. The population is desperately trying to understand why people are dying from nowhere, and because the government hadn't manifested itself." - Rick commented looking at the screen.

"But this is one of the worst strategies to use, especially if people are panicking." - Myka said.

"The government believes we are living a new episode similar to September 11." - Claud said.

"The pattern that Rick noticed is getting more visible on the map. South Dakota is the axis. But why?" - Pete was thoughtful, trying to think of any reason that could make South Dakota turn the axis.

Myka looked at the map, noting that the pattern were in fact similar to a tornado rotating around an axis. If anyone saw this, would think this would be a weather event, but wasn't. Myka just wished it was a hurricane. The U.S. is more prepared to deal with tragedies of Mother Nature than with tragedies caused by artifacts.

"Maybe it's because of the warehouse." - Rick said, watching the reaction of other agents, - "After all, South Dakota is the only region of the USA which has a warehouse full of artifacts. Perhaps someone is in possession of an artifact and is using it to invade the warehouse towards a larger goal as the global chaos or even control of all nations." – Rick complemented when he saw the questioning look of Artie.

"Knock, Knock. I refuse to have another person willing to fight the invasion of the warehouse with me." - Claud said more to herself than to the other agents.

"At least, this seems a reasonable cause. It wouldn't be the first time that the warehouse was target of invasion, to use artifacts as a means of controlling the world's largest nations." - Artie said.

"But it's strange no one has yet approached the warehouse. If they really wanted to break into the warehouse, they would have tried, as Walter Sykes did and succeeded." - Myka said remembering how Sykes stormed the warehouse.

"Maybe they're waiting for the best time for this. Or they're still planning any line of attack." - Pete said.

"The events are starting to focus around South Dakota. Some states have already declared that the death rate is decreasing, while the others are declaring a progressive increase." - Claud said, while updating the maps, showing the states that had already declared a decline in deaths.

"One more reason to believe the warehouse is the reason." - Rick said.

"There is already an event near here?" - Myka asked, getting a nod and a verbal confirmation of Claud.

"Myka don't tell me you're thinking of going there." - Pete said, looking at Myka.

"It's our best chance." - Myka tried to justify it, as he shrugged.

"No way I'll accept agents wanting to be suicide, not in that kind of situation." - Artie said, interrupting any attempt of Pete to speak, - "You'd be crazy if you gone really there." - Rick and Myka looked at each other, not unnoticed by Artie, - "You understood what I meant. The important detail here is: you aren't allowed to leave the warehouse until we know what is causing it." - Artie said decisively.

Myka knew that if she could go to the nearest town that presented the event, she could have a better chance to understand what the main piece of the puzzle is. At the moment, she felt like a house of cards falling in space, with nothing to support. She needed a clue of any support to obtain the main response of the many issues involved in this event. She just had this constant thought that she should examine any of these events if she wanted to get answers.

She also knew she would be risking her life and could be more one more to the number of death, but at the moment she didn't care too much about it, after all, she has been near death many times. She received orders to return to search where she was previously, although Rick and Pete have stayed to analyze the progression of events on the map.

Claud had returned to work on organize and acquire the information as needed, while Artie was back to the research he was previously doing. Pete and Rick knew that something wasn't right in the progression of events. The events should have remained as they weren't focused.

Pete had the impression of seeing an event that couldn't be spread over a long time, and soon had the need to reconvene as the theory that the universe is expanding to contract, a repeating cycle. But this cycle should already be starting to repeat itself, but what he saw on the screen didn't give proof that it was a repetitive cycle.

Rick thought he was seeing an army forming, with all the scattered forces, as if they had declared support for a main contingent being at distance, needing time, but soon organizing themselves into a single front ring, as they approached. For some reason, it looked familiar but couldn't determine why, since no memory came to his mind. He started to believe be having déjà vu.

"Did you notice that there is a concentration of events at that point, as if it had more energy than all the other events?" - Pete pointed to a region, attracting the attention of Rick and Claud, who increased the zoom in the region pointed to by Pete.

"It's one of the events that I said to Myka. Zooming, it seems that this point is a very specific axis, attracting the attention of everyone else. We haven't seen before because we were seeing the whole map of the USA." - Claud said when she realized that Pete was talking about the event.

"It seems to me that the artifact is at this point, as if to gather all the others to have greater power." - Rick said.

"Perhaps we have resolved why South Dakota is calling so much attention. But the main question prevails: what?"

Rick looked at the map with many red dots blinking, and thought back to what Myka said. The majority of the clones were in objects. But others might well have the ability to clone themselves. Assuming they have this ability, they would have been infinitely multiplied over the years. But why this chaos now?

"I found something interesting in the system." - Claud said interrupting the thought of Rick.

"That event in the inner of California? We had the same here in South Dakota, which is originally the ground zero. But that was about a month after the explosion of the warehouse, and we haven't had the alarm system ready." - Slowly the pieces were coming together in the mind of Rick.

"And where was that?" - Rick asked.

"In this city where the actual event is stronger." - Rick sighed, having found the main piece. He leaned his hands on the desk.

"Maybe Artie is right in the end" - Rick muttered, but unfortunately it wasn't low enough.

"How so?" - Pete asked, calling the attention of Claud.

"All this is my result. I created clones, but most are in objects. I'm assuming that the rest have but my ability to clone themselves. And the system can't determine which device is causing the events because they aren't objects, and don't have a general pattern. They are a bunch of different patterns, although being the same thing in essence." - Rick said as he raised his head to look at Pete.

"So this may be your clones?" - Claud asked worried.

"Yes. The chaos comes when the leader, supposedly me, stop of changing of hosts. The first attempt to declare a new leader is about a month after the last change, after all, I never spent more than a month without changing of host. It's just an unspoken agreement, but pre-established between the clones and me. Probably the one that initiated the event failed to convince everyone else that there was the absence of a leader. But now is the time more than perfect." - Rick went on to explain.

"But you made changed of Myka to this actual you're now." - Pete said.

"Yes, but my actual host was already dead. I have commented to Myka I have in my head a virtual map of the artifacts and people's minds, and before you ask, it was why I knew where each artifact was, as every mind that is interesting. But I'm also assuming that the clones have the same thing, otherwise the axis wouldn't be so close to the warehouse, not to mention they don't know about the existence of this warehouse. Therefore they don't come so close. They're just trying to declare a new leader. And this mental map only works when the host is alive, was this map that allowed me to find you and Myka in Seattle, I still possess a slight connection with Myka's mind." - Rick paused to see if Claud and Pete were following his explanation.

"The first declaration of a possible leader always happens at the place nearest to where the last leader changed of living host." - Rick said turning to look down.

"But why they need a new leader?" - Claud asked, although she realize where Rick wanted to go.

"Because without a leader, chaos ensues. It's a real power struggle. And the only way they know that there is still a leader, is through my changes in living hosts. And without a leader, a new war begins which is what we are experiencing now. Just as they need a leader to ensure their existence." - Rick looked at the map again, recalling a little detail.

"Where is Myka?" - Rick asked, looking around to see if by some chance she would not be around, just listening and looking.

"She came back to do her research." - Pete commented going to where Myka was supposed to be.

Rick and Pete came to the room where Myka supposed to be, but found that Myka was no longer in the warehouse. Panic broke Pete once he realized Myka had left the warehouse, contrary to orders. Rick saw the panic of Pete and in an instant had the same impulse that Pete: go running to the outside.

"A car is missing." - Pete said with a tone of panic in his voice, recalling the day Myka left the warehouse, although he knew that these were different circumstances.

"We need to reach Myka before she gets to where she is going. She can't go to that location." - Pete looked at Rick having a bad feeling. Both got into the car with Rick at the direction, since he knew where was going Myka. Pete couldn't think of anything else that wasn't the safety of Myka. Rick just needed to fulfill the promise. And maybe that was the moment when Rick would define if fulfilled his promise or not.

"Myka is going to the strong event. She'll find my first clone."- Rick said as he drove, probably breaking a few speed limits, but at the moment didn't care about this detail.

"And that's good or bad?"

"Definitely bad. This clone is the only one who can destroy me, because it's almost my half, and he has much of my skills. There are only two ways to destroy me. Helena and this clone. Helena is dead, but this clone doesn't." - Pete sank on the bench, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"Myka won't survive." - Rick looked at Pete, for a moment before returning his gaze to the road.

"I won't let die Myka, Pete." - Pete looked at him surprised. He didn't know what made him say that.

"I promised Helena that I would let Myka safe. And that's what I'll do." - Rick said noticing the look of Pete.

"How will you do that?" - Pete didn't know how he could ensure that Myka would be safe. Rick looked at him again for a few moments.

"It won't be the best thing to say, but I have to release my killer instinct. It's the only way to kill him." - Pete had been more concerned, Rick added when he saw his concern, -" Pete, I promise that Myka will leave the building alive. But who may not will be me. The only way to kill a clone is the fusion of the creator and clone." - Pete looked at him, not knowing if he understood what Rick was saying.

"You will destroy yourself?" - Pete asked afraid.

"Probably." - Rick said impassively without taking his eyes off the road.

Rick, breaking some traffic laws, managed to get to where Myka had gone in short time, the local was a building still under construction. Pete looked worried for Rick, knowing that buildings under construction are more dangerous than entire buildings.

"Pete, I'll enter. I know you have your feelings, and I know you're having one now. But once it gets worse, enter the building and rescue Myka, right? I can't guarantee myself if I'll get away with Myka, but I can assure you and Myka will leave here." - Pete listened intently, nodding, seeing Rick enter the building some moments after.

Rick had no trouble locating where Myka was due to the noise of a body colliding with concrete audible. He accelerated his steps, reaching a large open area with few columns, assuming that this area would become a hall, and finding Myka and a man, clearly trying to break into the mind of Myka. The man noticed the presence of Rick on the environment.

"Our superhero comes to save you, honey?" - The man said, with the same style of Rick's smile on his face.

"I'm no superhero, you know that." - Rick said, coming closer.

Myka has resisted even though she knew she couldn't hold on much longer. She had been violently beaten, being physically tired. She was lying on the floor against the side of the body, almost hugging herself, trying to breathe, apparently with a broken rib bothering one of the lungs.

"Get away from her. She is not yours." - Rick also said while he comes closer with cautious steps.

Laughter became audible.

"Why should I stay away? She is a very interesting woman." - He said, crouching in front of Myka, - "Certainly learned some tricks of our master here. Let's see how far you were a good student?" - The man looked at Rick.

"She may be, but isn't your guinea pig." - Rick had already covered the distance he needed to be almost face to face with him.

Rick looked at Myka, thinking how he could relieve her pain. He knew she was suffering just by hearing her breathing. He looked at the man, and made his decision. Myka's eyes were closed, but by Rick's voice she knew he was there.

Myka opened her eyes, expecting to see Rick, but found herself in a different environment, realizing that the pains were gone, at least temporarily. She looked around looking for Rick, but who she found was Helena. Her first impulse was to stay still, watching the face of Helena, paying attention to details of her face. The environment didn't seem familiar, but this was a detail that didn't matter.

"I don't know if you'll ever see it, but I hope that Rick will show you." - Myka then realized that this was a memory for her. Helena had left a message to Myka through a memory, knowing that Rick had the ability to display memories to others. Myka smiled knowing that Helena had done so.

"I know we hadn't a very nice start at my house as we had many bad moments along the way, but I'm pretty sure we had a few moments, rare, but pleasant. Certainly my reputation for making requires repairs, but today, I hope you might understand why of all my actions, or at least understand that I had my reasons and none of these events was supposed to hurt or harm you in any way. I know you've probably seen some memory of mine, but that doesn't worry me, and I deeply hope you'll forgive me for any act that has broken your trust." - Helena said, at times reaching almost to smile as to remember some specific time.

Myka tried to hold all her tears, but seeing Helena in this situation, almost feeling vulnerable and being honest was enough for some tears were shed. The memories of the times that Helena seemed to be betraying her trust no longer bothered her more, so she just let it invade the mind. What mattered at the time Helena was there.

"I believe if Rick shows it to you, I'll be dead. I know you always wondered who I was in the end, after all those times I seemed to be the villain and heroine. If I really am dead, Myka, I just ask forgiveness. I know that if we had had more time, I would have told you about my life or any aspect you wanted to know about it. But I'm confident that Rick will make this service the best way he can do. I know your mind is curious, I know you always want the answers to many questions you have, but I just ask to be content with the few you have."

Myka didn't know what to think of the whole situation, she had never imagined would have some memory of this kind with Rick, much less that he would show.

"I just hope you have enough responses to live your life without having great concern with me because I know you have a lovely photographic memory which helped on many occasions, but these answers should be enough to give peace to your mind and the heart." - Myka looked almost surprised to Helena, who had a smile, nearly laughing, as if she knew what would be the reaction of Myka.

"Myka, it's no surprise that you at least had a romantic interest in me. And unfortunately, may be too late to say I also corresponded."- Helena's eyes at that moment became almost sad, Myka instinctively raising a hand, but stopped half way when she remembered of Rick.

"Myka, just one more last request: Please, continue to be that Myka I met. Like Pete, Artie and Claud know you, and the warehouse will always need you." - Myka looked at her knowing that when she blinks her eyes she would be back to reality, feeling the pain again.

She closed her eyes hesitant, seeing the memory fade, and feeling the pain again. She could hear sounds of bodies crashing into punches, but suspected that it was more than that. She opened her eyes, seeing Rick and the man fighting, but realizing that with every punch, the two remained in the same position for a few quick moments.

At first, she couldn't see much detail, but gradually her vision was normalizing, making her realize the state of Rick. He was with his mouth bleeding, probably not bothering much, but realized that the wound was healing very slowly, indicating a possible weakness, because she knew that Rick was able to regenerate fast.

Rick heard distant footsteps, knowing that it was Pete, but had been distracted enough to look to see if Pete was around, being knocked to the ground by the man, being strangled. Myka would say she was able to see a slight thin line between the two as if Rick was trying to leave the body, though he couldn't because the man was the nearest body, and he couldn't take the Myka's body again.

Pete realized the state of Myka well as the state of Rick. His first instinct was to run until Myka, feeling the adrenaline go through his veins. He realized that Myka was with breathing difficulties, but gave a sigh of relief to see that nothing was broken, but might need some stitches.

"More one superhero to save our honey?" - The man brought Pete's attention, making him realize that he had some characteristics in common with Rick.

Rick taking advantage of the distraction of the man managed to turn both, getting over the man, this time him strangling the other.

"Pete, get out!" - Rick shouted to Pete, who had risen almost stumbling, trying to raise Myka who refused, wanting to stay to help.

"Myka, please get out of here!" - Rick tried again to convince Myka, keeping his eyes fixed on the man, knowing that if he got distracted, he would lose the fight.

"Why?" - Myka asked, knowing it wasn't the right thing to do at the moment.

"Because I promised I would keep the only woman Helena loved in her life. Helena only made me promise that because you were the one person she truly loved in life after Christina. Please get out of here!" - Myka heard the words of Rick stunned, remembering the memory that Rick had shown moments ago.

Pete took this moment to catch Myka, and drag her away from the building. Myka when realize that Pete was able to take her away from Rick, tried desperately to fight against Pete, but her situation only made her to give up and resign herself to cry realizing what Helena really meant in that memory.

Myka realized the fine line that she had seen between the two had been stronger, but hadn't time to reach any conclusion, because the next thing she could remember was waking up in hospital with Claud and Pete in the room. She tried to remember what had happened then, but could only remember tiny fragments.

"Myka, how are you feeling?" - Pete had called the doctor, who entered the room asking.

Myka realized she was in no longer pain, trying to move.

"Maybe a little confused." - Myka said at the end.

"Don't worry, this is normal after explosions." - The last word caught the attention of Myka. She didn't remember any explosion.

The doctor made the necessary examinations, while Pete and Claud waited a moment alone to tell what happened. Myka had been unconscious for some hours. After a few moments, the doctor declared that Myka would just have to stay overnight for observation, due to memory lost, and then left the room.

"Myka, what do you remember?" - Pete was the first to ask, while Claud sat on one of the seats it had in the room. Myka tried to remember everything but the last thing she was sure was moments before Pete could take her out of the building.

"I remember having fought against you to try to go to Rick, but I couldn't. More than that, only a few fragments." - Pete heard while nodding, - "Pete, the doctor mentioned an explosion. What explosion?"- Myka asked noticing the look almost defeated of Pete.

"There was an explosion at the time we left the building. I had this feeling that the building would explode, so I could take you to the bucket that was near the entrance, which was our refuge from the explosion." - Pete said as he sat in another chair seat.

"Rick said there was only one way to destroy that clone, which was the fusion of the creator and clone. The fusion led to an explosion." - Pete added to see the questioning look Myka.

"After a few previous studies, I found that the fusion had enough power to destroy South Dakota, and Rick probably knew that, so he redirected the energy into himself, which ended up destroying him." – Claud said.

"I also don't remember some things, but I remember of hearing someone screaming. Probably was Rick, when he fused himself with his clone, feeling it destroying him."

As Pete and Claud told what had happened, Myka was being gradually able to remember what had happened. But the last memory that she had before waking up was the time of the explosion, which had generated a shock wave, which was enough to make Myka lost consciousness since she was physically and mentally exhausted and that was the way her body found to protect her.

"So there is no more clone event?" - Myka asked once Pete and Claud finished speaking.

"No. All of them collapsed causing small shock wave all, disappearing once Rick is destroyed." - Claud said. Myka rested her head on the pillow.

"Artie will be furious with me." - Myka said.

"Partly. Right now, his concern is with the government." - Pete replied.

Myka sighed, she knew that Artie would get mad at her for a few days, but soon they would solve it. Probably the government would adopt some measures not very positive for the warehouse, but she knew that soon they would be back to the old routine.

And the old routine was established again, although Myka caught herself thinking in Helena and Rick. Sometimes, she takes refuge in her room leaving the memories with Helena invade her mind, just as a way to see Helena. Claud found a letter from Rick saying how she could upgrade the system to be able to detect artifacts alive if there were any other.

Rick had also left a letter for Myka.


	7. Chapter 7

_It's been over a month since Rick was destroyed. The old routine of the warehouse was re-established although we had no more events that brought the same amount of emotion that clones of Rick brought. Artie and I went through some friction due to my 'episode of disobedience of a simple order'. I know I shouldn't have gone in that place, but I'm known for wanting all the answers, an attitude that I must try to control more._

_I heard that conversation that Rick had with Pete that day, knowing deep in my mind that was the centerpiece. At that moment, my mind just kept saying that there was something wrong with the whole situation. Just thought that was my only chance. Perhaps my chance to win one more broken rib and some switches, but my disobedience brought me a memory of Helena. Perhaps one of the most touching I have and that I'll keep with me while I still breathe._

_Rick left me a letter. He may have suspected he wouldn't get much time around me, although he tried. Essentially, the letter consists of facts about Helena, more than anything else. He knew he wouldn't give enough answers for me, although I knew that Helena had asked me to accept the few I had._

_Today, I no longer consider Helena as a villain or heroine. Certainly she broke my trust, but today I'm no longer able to feel hatred or any negative feelings about it. She had reason to make every moment of her life, coming to learn with it later. Of course the presence of Rick in her mind didn't help at various times, but now knowing the various parameters that moved the life of Helena, I'm able to forgive her, after all, I believed her, and she was right after all._

_About Rick, I never imagined that something like him could exist. Helena certainly should have felt a little proud to have achieved this, but the times weren't propitious for it, and may never be, since she would feel guilty for having allowed such a creation._

_It's amazing to think that Rick has fulfilled the promise seriously that he had made to Helena, although he had no obligation. He had no obligation to have returned months after he left my body. He could have very well have seen that as promise fulfilled. Perhaps in the end, he has acquired some characteristic of human. Today I know that Rick just showed me that memory as a way to temporarily relieve my pain at the time, while he was suffering in the fight with clone, with which I learned that it was almost a half of him._

_If Rick hadn't done any action that is directly linked to his promise, maybe I wouldn't be here. Perhaps he would have left me dead, or even, I would have been used by his clone if I hadn't already learned to avoid brain damage. Although some of these I still carry with me, although now it's already more discreet, almost disappeared in total. They only serve as a reminder of how I spent these last few months trying to understand Helena._

_I always knew from that event involving the Minoan Trident, that Helena wasn't the person she appeared to be. She was much more vulnerable than she appeared to be. Maybe she was afraid to fully trust and love someone and suddenly lose that someone, as happened with Christina. This is a loss that no parent should have to suffer, but unfortunately Helena suffered. And that almost destroyed the modern world, although Helena knew deep down that this wasn't the best way to obtain justice for the death of Christina, not to mention that she would kill innocent people, and Christina probably wouldn't never have forgive her mother for doing that._

_Helena never seemed to be someone capable of killing innocent people. Perphaps, criminals but never innocent. Maybe I just have been the only one who persisted in seeking the answer to Helena's behavior at certain times because I was the only person allowed to see the real Helena behind that mask she had carefully built, although she had ruined some aspects during the course of her life._

_And by these and many other aspects, I consider Helena forgiven. And more than that, she will always be in my heart and in my mind. As Rick will always have consideration for my part, I have ensured that I would survive in the end, and having taught and shown me some things about Helen that maybe humanity will never know._

_Helena most certainly deserves to be remembered as H.G. Wells for those who don't know her real identity. And those who know will create their way to remember Helena._


End file.
